


The Endless Night

by BootSequence



Series: A World of Darkness [2]
Category: Deltarune (Video Game), Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/F, F/M, M/M, OC Antagonist, Some Humor, Some angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:10:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 61,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23303623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BootSequence/pseuds/BootSequence
Summary: When a ruthless tyrant seizes the throne of the dark world, the Fun Gang sets out to depose him and restore Lancer to power, accompanied by a pair of new faces. Their quest proves perilous when they discover the tyrant's mad ambitions, and quickly find themselves locked in a brutal conflict with the fate of light and dark at stake. Sequel to Another Him.
Relationships: Asriel Dreemurr/Frisk, Kris/Ralsei (Deltarune), Noelle Holiday/Susie (Deltarune)
Series: A World of Darkness [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1675996
Comments: 31
Kudos: 58





	1. The Usurper

**Author's Note:**

> As you've probably noticed, this story takes place after my other story, Another Him. This story may contain some spoilers for Another Him, so if you care about that at all, I'd recommend reading Another Him first.

_“Without Fire, all shall be a frigid and frightful Dark.”_

_-Gwynevere, Princess of Sunlight (Dark Souls)_

* * *

Chapter 1: The Usurper

_“We are in command here.”_

_-Russian team announcer (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare)_

* * *

The Rudinn Ranger watched in horror as his last remaining comrades were brutally cut down. He was backed into a corner, with seemingly no way out of this situation. How had this happened so fast? These mysterious soldiers came out of nowhere and stormed Card Castle, mercilessly slaughtering anyone who got in their way. What were they after? Who even were they?

“Your allies are all dead,” spoke the hostile army’s commander. He towered over his subordinates, clothed in a long black coat that obscured most of his form. “There’s no help coming for you. Ready to give up now?”

The Rudinn Ranger kept his blade firmly in hand. Indeed, this looked like the end for him. He stared into the shrouded visage of the invaders’ commander and grit his teeth. With any luck, King Lancer was able to get out of the castle. The Ranger accepted his inevitable fate, resolved to go down fighting.

He pointed his blade at his attackers defiantly. “By my honor as a defender of the kingdom, I will not yield.”

“Is that so…” their commander stepped forth menacingly, hoisting his scythe over his shoulder. “Well, I trust you know what’s coming next, then.”

The Ranger charged forth. “Long live the king!”

In one swift motion, the invaders’ commander swung his scythe upward, impaling the Ranger on its blackened blade. He sneered at the Ranger, pulling his hood back.

“Consider this a learning experience,” he said coldly. “The lesson is, don’t interfere with me.”

He slammed the Ranger into the ground, violently pulling his scythe free and bisecting his victim. He did not even give a sideways glance as his two halves crumbled to dust.

From the other end of the room, a robed figure with a feathered cap approached his commander, a small squad of ironclad knights following behind him.

“Master Helsing,” he said, giving a quick bow.

“Alric,” he greeted his advisor. “So, has your team swept the castle?”

“Yes, sir. All of the king’s troops have been captured or killed. We have full reign over Card Castle.”

“And the king himself?”

Alric lowered his head slightly. “Unfortunately, we found no sign of him. He must have left the castle. Where he went, we still don’t know. We did find this guy, though.”

The knights behind him shoved their captive toward Helsing.

“Unhandeth me at once, scoundrels!” Rouxls Kaard protested, trying and failing to pull himself free.

“Right, the Duke of Puzzles,” Helsing acknowledged. “I’m sure I can find some use for you. Maybe as a secondary advisor.”

Rouxls scoffed. “Vile fiend! The valiant Rouxls Kaard wouldst never serve someone such as thou!”

Helsing’s eyes – merely icy blue orbs of light – narrowed. He brought his scythe up just below Rouxls’ chin. “I urge you to reconsider.”

“On second thought,” Rouxls’ voice shook a little, “perhaps the role of secondary advisor wouldst fitteth me quite well.”

“That’s what I thought.” Helsing withdrew his scythe. He turned to Alric, “Have your team secure the area around the castle. Lock down the dark fountain in Castle Town. We’ll hunt the king where he hides.”

“At once, sir.” Alric gestured to his team of knights. “You heard the master! Move out!”

Helsing watched as Alric and his team moved out. He turned to the rest of his troops, “Alright, the rest of you, set up a perimeter around the castle. I have some business to take care of myself.”

Without another word, he stalked over to the elevator, descending to the basement. When he arrived, he pulled his hood over his head and sheathed his scythe. He took note of all the empty cells as he walked; the king seemed quite carefree with the release of the old prisoners. He hoped the one he was after was still here.

He wasn’t let down. At the end of the hall was a modestly sized cell – the only occupied one in the entire dungeon. Inside was the former King of Spades, who was currently brooding in the corner in silence.

With a quick strike, he cut the door’s lock in two and stepped inside. The former king seemed unbothered by his presence.

Helsing leaned against the wall. “Chaos King.”

The King barely looked up at him. “And just who are you?”

“You can call me Helsing, the new monarch of the dark world.”

“’New monarch’?” the King scoffed. “Thought my son was the king.”

“Since when were you one to care about your son?” A tone of contempt crept into Helsing’s voice. “Regardless, I’m not here just to tell you that I’m the new ruler.”

“Well, then why are you here?”

“Oh, I just have a single question to ask. And, I’m not a very patient man, so I suggest you answer.” He stepped away from the wall. “The Knight. I know he had the power to create dark fountains. How did he acquire this power?”

The King chuckled humorlessly. “Couldn’t even begin to tell you. I wasn’t involved in his creation. You’d have to ask the royal scientist.”

“Alright, then. Where might I find the royal scientist?”

“Assuming he hasn’t moved, his lab should be all the way to the east, past the Seventh Region. You’ll know it when you see it.”

Helsing cracked a slight grin. “Well, this was easier than I thought. Thanks for your cooperation.”

The King shrugged. “Well, it’s not like I have anything else to do.”

“Yes, I suppose so…” Helsing reached for his scythe. “Unfortunately for you, this was all I needed you for.”

“What do you think you’re—”

He was cut off when Helsing’s scythe embedded itself in his chest. He pulled his weapon free, accompanied by a spray of bluish blood.

“You have no value to me anymore,” Helsing stated. “Can’t risk you suddenly developing a conscience and trying to stop me, can I?”

He left the area as the King’s body dissolved to dust.

* * *

Later…

Only the howling wind could be heard as Helsing approached the former lab of the royal scientist. He shook his head at the sorry state it was in; the walls were crumbling, the inside was in a state of complete disarray, and there was no one to be seen – not even the royal scientist.

As he approached, he spotted something beside the front door. It was a silver sword, covered in dust. At a single glance, he recognized that famed sword.

“Ah, the Knight,” Helsing commented. “Finally met a greater opponent, did you?” He reached out to touch the dusty blade. “I always respected you. It only seems right that I inherit your powers.”

The door to the lab fell off its hinges as he entered. He rolled his eyes and started to look around. His eyes were drawn to a staggeringly large and disorganized mess of papers.

‘ _There’s gotta be something worthwhile in here…_ ’

He began sifting through the papers, taking a cursory glance at their contents. Talk about entering the dark world, something about a demon named Chara, talk about the scientist’s sons…

Helsing’s eyes lit up as he found several notes discussing the Knight. He quickly thumbed through the papers.

‘ _The Knight’s body and soul were created from the dark fountain. The power of the dark world literally courses through his veins. Hm…_ ’

He tucked the papers into his coat and turned to leave. He gave the Knight’s memorial one last nod of respect as he departed.

‘ _Let’s find out exactly what the dark fountain can do._ ’

* * *

Meanwhile, in the light world…

“Alright, here we are,” Asriel said with a smile, “scenic my house. You ready to meet the family?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Frisk said. “I’m just a little nervous. What if they don’t like me?”

“C’mon, you’re the most likeable person I know.” He gave her a pat on the shoulder. “They’re gonna love you.”

“I hope so.”

“You’ve got nothing to worry about.” He knocked on the door. After a brief moment, it swung open.

“Hey, Asriel!” Kris greeted his brother. “Good to see you again.”

“I’m glad to be back.” He turned to Frisk, “This is my brother, Kris. Kris, this is my girlfriend, Frisk.”

“Nice to meet you,” she waved.

Kris’ eyes quickly scanned over her. She was just a bit shorter than him, and was dressed in the same sweater/jeans outfit he was wearing, though her sweater was pink and purple. She had fair skin and shoulder-length brown hair that framed her face. She had a light scar on her left cheek, and a pair of striking golden eyes.

Kris waved back at her. “Asriel’s told me a lot about you, so I’m glad to finally meet you.”

“Likewise,” she smiled slightly. “I’ve heard a lot of things about you too.”

“Really? You haven’t been slandering me, have you?”

Asriel chuckled. “C’mon, you know I’d never do that to my little brother.”

“’Little brother’? Dude, I’m like, two months younger than you.”

“The keyword here being ‘younger’.”

“Eh, whatever. Come on in.”

The two stepped inside and were greeted by the sight of Ralsei, Susie, and Noelle gathered together. Ralsei quickly jumped up to welcome them.

“Good to see you again, Asriel,” Ralsei smiled. “Nice to meet you too, miss, um…?”

“I’m Frisk,” she said. “I’m his girlfriend.”

“So, you brought the girlfriend over, huh?” Susie sat up. “That’s a pretty big step, brother.”

“Yeah, I know,” Asriel said. “Haven’t you and Noelle met each other’s parents?”

“Mmhm.”

“Is everyone here part of your family?” Frisk asked.

“No, they’re not,” Asriel said. “That’s Ralsei, Kris’ boyfriend. The big scary one is Susie, and that’s her girlfriend, Noelle. They’re some of Kris’ friends.”

“Well, I’m glad to meet you all.” She and Asriel took a seat on the couch.

“So, Frisk,” Kris tried to start a conversation, “how’d you and Asriel meet?”

“Basically in the most mundane way possible,” she said. “We’re in the same magic class, we just got to talking one day, and we really hit it off.”

“You’re learning magic?” Noelle said.

“Yep. I know it’s real hard for humans to learn magic, but it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. And not just for the practical uses, either. A big reason I’m doing this is for the spectacle. I want to be some kind of performance artist eventually, and I think knowing magic will give me a nice edge.”

“That’s pretty cool,” Susie leaned back in her seat. “How’s that going for you so far?”

“Not very well, actually,” Frisk chuckled. “We’re starting simple with magic barriers, but I can’t really keep them up for very long.”

She held her hands out and began to focus her magic power. After a moment, a pink magic field flickered in front of her, but it quickly dissipated into nothing.

“I’ve still got a long way to go.”

Ralsei spoke, “If you need some help, I’d be happy to teach you a few things. I’m pretty good at healing and defensive magic, and I know a bit of pyromancy, too.”

“Oh, I’d really appreciate that. As long as it wouldn’t be too much trouble…”

“It won’t be a problem at all. It might be kinda fun to teach someone.”

“You can definitely learn a lot from him,” Kris chimed in. He gestured to Susie and Noelle, “His magic carried all of us through some really hellish times, so I can tell you he knows his stuff.”

“What kind of hellish times?” Frisk raised an eyebrow.

“Well, that’s a really long and convoluted story that’s pretty hard to believe.”

“Ooh, now you’ve got me intrigued. I gotta know. You know, if you’re willing to share.”

“Sure, why not.” Kris sat up. “Settle in, though, ‘cause it’s a wild ride.”

Before he could say anything else, there suddenly came a knock on the door.

“Mom’s back already?” Kris stood up and opened the door, and was taken aback by who was there.

“Lancer?”

Lancer, stained with dirt and looking quite disheveled, met his eyes with a look of genuine fear.

“Guys, I need your help with something.”


	2. Into Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The heroes venture into the dark world to help Lancer take back his throne.

_“To escape this dreadful Hunter’s Dream, halt the source of the spreading scourge of beasts, lest the night carry on forever.”_

_-Bloodborne_

* * *

“Okay, Lancer, you’re spending too much time going on random tangents. What made you come here for help?” Kris was very much concerned for his friend, but listening to Lancer’s verbal meandering about irrelevant details was getting them nowhere.

“I really didn’t need to know about the worm eating,” Asriel commented.

“Um, right,” Lancer nodded. “After my bike exploded and we put out the fire, some weird guy came in with an army and started killing everyone. I wanted to try to stop them, but Lesser Dad just said I should come here and tell you guys.”

Susie interjected, “Wait, so some random army comes out of nowhere and takes over your castle? You really didn’t see them coming?”

“We didn’t! I don’t know how, but we didn’t even know they formed an army. I don’t even know who their leader is…”

“Did you at least get a glimpse of him?” Noelle asked.

“Just a quick look. He was really tall and he had a black coat and a scythe. I didn’t recognize him.”

“Yeah, that doesn’t sound familiar…” Kris said. “Did he really wipe out everyone at the castle?”

“I think so,” Lancer nodded grimly. “He probably did by now. I hope Lesser Dad is okay…”

Susie wordlessly placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. He said nothing else, but seemed to take comfort in the gesture.

Toriel entered the room, carrying a tray with several cups of tea. She passed a cup to everyone present before taking a seat with a cup of her own.

“Lancer, that’s horrible,” Frisk said, sipping her drink. “I’m sorry you had to go through that… I just wish there was something we could do to help.”

“There’s plenty we can do to help.” Susie stood up, cracking her knuckles. “We can head over to the dark world and punch this guy’s head down into his chest cavity. What do you say?”

“Another perilous adventure where we battle some overwhelmingly powerful force with the fate of the darkners at stake?” Kris chuckled. “C’mon, how can I say no?”

“Tell me you’re not actually planning on doing this,” Toriel said. “You would be taking on an entire army with enough power to overthrow a king! I don’t think I need to tell you how easily you could be killed.”

“Mom, the first time we were there, we took down an evil king, and that only took an afternoon. The second time, we killed the deranged murder demon that was haunting me, and we did that in a week. Compared to that, this sounds like easy mode.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Noelle countered. “What was it that Sariel said about overconfidence, again?”

“It’s a slow and insidious killer. I know, I’ve played that game before. But honestly, how can some false king be more dangerous than Chara?”

Toriel sighed. “Maybe so, but… It sounds so terribly risky. You barely survived your last trip, and I don’t know if I could stand the thought of you putting your life on the line like that.”

“We can’t just let that guy go wild in the dark world. There’s no way he’s up to anything that isn’t evil if he massacred Lancer’s guards. Somebody’s gotta stop him.”

“Besides, it’s not like he’s going in alone,” Susie added, pointing to Ralsei and Noelle. “We’re gonna be backing him up the whole time.”

“Plus, I’m willing to go with them and help out,” Asriel said. “I can keep an eye on them for you, Mom.”

“You really want to come with us?” Ralsei asked.

“I mean, I wouldn’t really feel too good about staying here while you go off and knock out a false king. I’d like you all to come back alive, so the least I can do is come with you.”

“Well, now I’ve got this sense of heroism going on,” Frisk said, setting her cup down. “I’ll come too. You know, if you’ll have me.”

“The more, the merrier,” Kris said. “We’ll probably be out there for a while, though. You guys sure you’re up to it?”

Frisk shrugged. “The semester just ended, and I don’t have any other plans, so why not?”

“I’m in the same boat, honestly,” Asriel said. “Besides, how many people can say they’ve taken down an evil king? I wanna be part of that demographic.”

“Well, then we’re happy to have you along,” Kris smiled. “We can head off right now.” He looked over at Toriel. “Please, Mom?”

Toriel sighed. She didn’t even want to think of the kind of risks they would face. But, she already knew that no matter what she said, they would more than likely set off anyway. That was just the kind of people they were – they had to be the heroes.

Finally, she spoke, “Alright, you can go. Just, please, be careful. Don’t put yourselves in too much danger. I know, I can’t really say that when you’re going to do something like this, but… Just stay as safe as possible, okay?”

“We’ll be fine,” Kris assured. “Believe me, we know all the ins and outs of the dark world. Just give us a week or two, and we should be back by then.”

Toriel nodded slowly, wordlessly pulling him into a hug. He returned the embrace without hesitation.

“Don’t worry, we’ll make it back alive,” he said as he pulled away.

“Of course you will,” she forced a smile. Her statement was meant more as self-reassurance than anything.

“I won’t let anything happen to us,” Asriel said. “It’s my responsibility as the older brother.”

“Again, it’s a two month difference,” Kris remarked.

Asriel ignored him. “If Kris and his friends can handle Chara, I’m sure they’ll be able to handle this with me and Frisk helping. I think the odds are in our favor.”

“Yes, I know…” Toriel hugged Asriel, and he acted in kind. “Good luck. I think that’s all that I can say to you.”

“Thanks, Mom.” He turned to the others. “Everybody ready?”

“Hell yeah, brother,” Susie stood.

“As ready as I can be,” Noelle said.

“I’m ready,” Ralsei threw his scarf around his neck.

“Let’s roll,” Frisk said.

“Alright, we’re off,” Kris declared. “Onward!”

“I’m coming with you,” Lancer stated.

“You sure? I think it’d be safer if you stayed here.”

“But I like it better in the dark world. And I want to see Lesser Dad.”

“Okay, fine. We’ll take you and find some place to hide you. Just lay low.”

“Alright!”

Kris nodded. “Well, if that’ll be all, we should get moving.

* * *

“Alright, this is the place,” Kris said as he opened the supply closet’s doors.

“The way to the dark world is in your school’s supply closet?” Frisk seemed confused.

“Yeah, we don’t get it either,” Susie said flatly.

The six stepped into the closet and shut the door behind them, plunging it into complete blackness. Frisk and Asriel stuck closely to the rest, unsure what to expect.

“What happens now?” Asriel asked.

“We wait,” Kris answered.

Eventually, the floor began to vibrate beneath them and collapse into nothingness.

“Is that supposed to happen?” Asriel panicked.

“Yeah, it’s normal,” Noelle replied, a slight undertone of nervousness in her voice.

The floor fully gave way beneath them, sending them down into the endless darkness.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Helsing stood at the edge of the cliff, peering down into the dark below. “So this is where the Delta Warriors arrived in the dark world?”

“Yes, Master Helsing,” Alric confirmed. “We’re not sure why, but this is where they enter.”

“Hm.” He glanced over at the cliff face, studying the eye-shaped glyphs and viscous fluid that accented the entire area. “Does anyone know why these glyphs are here?”

“I don’t believe so. There’s a theory that they’re here to guide wayward lightners into the dark world, though.”

“I thought the lightners abandoned us. Why would we welcome their presence at all?”

Alric shrugged. “Remnants of days gone by, maybe?”

“Maybe…” Helsing drew his scythe and dragged it across the ground. He turned to the battalion of soldiers behind him. “I want you all to set up around these cliffs. Spread out to cover as much ground as possible. The Delta Warriors are to be killed on sight.”

“Yes, sir!” the soldiers spoke in unison.

“Forgive me, Master Helsing,” Alric said, “but don’t you think this might be overkill? The Delta Warriors are just a group of four. I’m certain someone with your might could strike them down easily.”

Helsing shook his head. “You need to remember something, Alric: they overthrew the King of Spades in a single day, and that was before they had their fourth. With their fourth, they endured the Knight’s onslaughts and vanquished an interchronal demon. They’re more than just a group of four.”

“Yes, I suppose you’re right,” Alric conceded.

Helsing nodded. “And, just for good measure…”

He held his scythe overhead, its blade glowing with dark power. In the blink of an eye, he swung his weapon across the ground in front of him. Purplish magic energy haphazardly snaked throughout the ground for a brief moment before fading away. The afflicted area began to rapidly crumble into pieces. Within seconds, it was gone.

“With any luck, this’ll give us an advantage over the Delta Warriors,” Helsing said, satisfied with his handiwork. “Now, archers and crossbowmen, set up right here. Swordsmen and halberdiers, I want you at the base of the cliffs. Mages, split up to reinforce both teams. Clear?”

“Clear,” his soldiers stated.

“Excellent. Let’s go, Alric.”

“Yes, sir,” Alric acquiesced.

* * *

When Frisk opened her eyes, she found herself lying on the cold, hard ground – certainly not the floor of the supply closet. She lifted her head to look around. Even with it right before her eyes, she could still barely believe that she was in the dark world.

As she stood up, she noticed the unusual attire she was currently wearing: a purple and black robe with white accents, with a matching skirt that reached down to her ankles.

“Since when was I wearing this?” she wondered aloud.

“Alright, this is weird,” Kris’ voice came from nearby. “This isn’t where we usually drop in. What happened?”

“Hell if I know,” Susie shrugged. “Maybe that guy Lancer told us about messed with something.”

“So this is the dark world?” Asriel took in the sights around him.

“Yep,” Kris said. “The rest of it’s a lot nicer than this.”

“Alright. So, what’s with the outfits?” Asriel gestured toward his own attire: an ashen gray overcoat with matching gloves and black leather boots.

“I got no idea. Our clothes just change when we come here. So do some of the things we carry around. Like, my pencil turns into this sword.” He drew his weapon to demonstrate.

Frisk noticed the small sheath at her hip. It contained a simple steel dagger.

“I don’t suppose there’s a chance we won’t have to use these,” she said, giving the dagger a quick once-over.

Ralsei perked up a bit. “Actually, most of the fights we get in can be handled without any violence at all. That’s one of the nice things about this world: nobody has to die!”

“What about Chara and the hive mind?” Susie said.

“ _Almost_ nobody has to die.”

“Well, that’s good,” Frisk smiled. “I really don’t like the idea of hurting anyone.”

“Then it’s a good thing you’re learning how to make magic barriers,” Asriel said.

“Here’s hoping I can actually get good at it soon.”

“Alright, enough talking!” Lancer suddenly said. “Where are we going now?”

Kris quickly scanned the surrounding area. It looks like a perfectly safe place; it was free of the mysterious usurper’s troops, and it was a rather isolated, out-of-the-way location, so it was unlikely that they would pay any attention to this place.

Kris spoke, “Honestly, Lancer, I think you’d be safest if you just stayed here. Just find somewhere to hide and stay out of sight. If anything you told us is true, I think you’re as good as dead if anybody catches you.”

Lancer seemed to pout a bit, but nodded. “Okay, I’m pretty good at that. Can I do anything else to help, though?”

“The most important thing you can do is not die. Don’t mess with anyone who comes around.”

“Right!” Lancer proceeded to jump behind a large rock.

Kris turned to his companions. “Now, we better get moving. Come on.”

“So you’re the team leader, huh?” Asriel asked.

“Pretty much. Everyone just defers to me to make the decisions.”

“He’s better at it than I am, at least,” Susie remarked.

The six advanced through the valley. The landscape was entirely unremarkable, save for the occasional sheer cliff or particularly tall hill. They walked until they came across a band of armored figures patrolling the area.

“There’s the welcoming committee,” Kris said.

“I’ve never seen anyone like that before…” Ralsei analyzed them. “They must have formed recently.”

“What’s the plan, Kris?” Noelle turned to him.

“I feel like it’d be a good idea to just sneak around these guys. Tactical espionage action, and all that.”

They crept forward, taking care to remain in the shadows. Their stealth advantage was lost quickly, however, when one of the soldiers just so happened to turn around as soon as they started moving.

“What the hell?” he reached for his sword.

“Um… hi there?” Ralsei forced a smile.

“There they are! Take them down!”

The rest of the soldiers turned to face the Fun Gang, brandishing swords and halberds of various shapes and sizes. One of them launched a bright orb of magic straight into the sky as a sort of flare.

“Oh, son of a bitch…” Susie rolled her eyes as she reached for her own halberd.


	3. Activate Your Steel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The heroes face off against Helsing's forces.

_“Keep your head up and your ass down. It’s go time.”_

_-Mercs team announcer (Call of Duty: Black Ops II)_

* * *

The soldiers wasted no time in surrounding the Fun Gang. There were no less than a dozen of them present, each one wielding a weapon more dangerous than the last.

“Okay, Kris,” Susie said, “what’s the plan?”

He shifted his sword into a shield. “Well, the first step is obvious: don’t die.”

The soldiers rushed at them from all sides. Ralsei quickly projected a barrier to defend against their assault. Kris took up a position beside him with his shield raised. Susie met the attackers head on, parrying their strikes and countering with the hilt of her weapon.

“I’m not so sure we’ll make it past step one!” Frisk frantically jumped back as two swords were swung in her direction. She allowed herself to drop to the ground when a third sword came her way.

“How are we supposed to get out of this without killing anyone?” Asriel stood behind Ralsei, electric sparks crackling in his hands.

“There’s a couple ways we go about that,” Kris said. “Most of the time, we can just smooth-talk our way out of fights without much trouble, believe it or not.”

Susie kicked one of the soldiers to the ground. “Or we can just beat the shit out of them and let Ralsei put them to sleep.”

“That works too, I guess.”

“Okay, how do we talk our way out of this?” Asriel ducked under a swinging halberd.

“I’m thinking that goes something like this…” Kris pointed at one of the soldiers, who was in the process of winding up an overhead strike.

“Hey, that’s a nice sword you’ve got there,” Kris flashed a grin. “Where’d you get that?”

The soldier suddenly halted his attack and looked over his weapon. “Oh, thanks. I actually forged this myself. Took a while, but I think it was worth it.”

“Well, you did a great job. You don’t really want to dirty that blade by impaling us, do you? Seems like a waste of all your hard work.”

“That’s a good point…”

“What the hell? Fight!” another soldier barked.

“And you,” Kris shifted his attention to her, “you’ve got that nice, commanding tone to your voice. You’re the leader here, aren’t you?”

“Yes, actually,” she said.

“Then you’ve got some experience with leading soldiers in battle. So, you probably already know that demoralized troops don’t fight very well. Don’t you think telling that guy to ruin his nice sword in a fight would be demoralizing?”

The soldier scoffed, but quickly glanced at the troops under her command. “Well…”

While she and her subordinate were internally debating whether to fight, Ralsei cast a pacification spell on them, and they slipped into a deep slumber.

“Wait, it’s just that easy?” Frisk perked up. “I can handle this.” She mimicked Kris, pointing one of the halberdiers. “You guys have a nice sense of fashion. Who designs your uniforms?”

A few of them stopped to examine their attire. One of them spoke, “Master Helsing’s advisor, Alric, was in charge of uniform design. He was dead set on making them stylish.”

“There’s merit to that,” Frisk smiled. “People respect you more when you don’t look like garbage, don’t they?”

“Yeah, I guess they do.”

“I see where you’re going with this,” another soldier said. “You think we shouldn’t mess up our uniforms doing Master Helsing’s dirty work.”

“Yes, actually,” Frisk nodded. “Besides, do you really want to take orders from someone named Helsing? How can you trust someone with hell in their name?”

“I mean, in fairness, you don’t really get to choose your name.”

Yet another swordsman entered the conversation, “Actually, I heard he changed his name to make himself seem more intimidating.”

“Wouldn’t put it past him. He always looks like he’s trying too hard to be dark and edgy.”

They quickly fell asleep when Ralsei pacified them. “You’re doing great, Frisk!” he gave a thumbs up.

“We’re dropping like flies,” a robed soldier spoke. “Guess it’s time for one of these…”

He began to channel magic power into a small, bright orb in his hands. The orb steadily grew in size and flashed a deep red. It crackled with energy as he held it over his head…

…only to have Noelle loose a crossbow bolt through it, dissipating it harmlessly. The mage blinked in surprise, his eyes darting back and forth between Noelle and the empty space between his hands.

“How dare you!” Brilliant flames formed in his hands as he charged at her. His advance was quickly rebuked when Susie tackled him to the ground and gave him a solid punch in the jaw. Ralsei swiftly pacified him, ensuring that he stayed down.

“This would be our option B,” Susie said. “If you can’t think of anything to do, you can’t go wrong with roughing them up a bit.” She swung her arm to clothesline an approaching swordsman. “Hell, just tire them out if you can.”

“It’s just that easy, huh?” Asriel was surprised.

“That’s all there is to it!” Kris parried an incoming attack. “You and Susie focus on wearing them out, Noelle harasses them with the occasional crossbow shot, Ralsei does the support work, and Frisk and I will handle the rest.”

“I can handle that,” Asriel nodded. He quickly got to work alongside Susie, firing off bolts of lightning from his hands at any would-be attackers.

One of the swordsmen caught Frisk off guard with a quick slash, followed by a kick that knocked her down. She tried to protect herself by conjuring a magic barrier. It flickered into existence long enough to absorb a single strike. Before her attacker could follow up, a bolt of lightning from Asriel hit him in the back and sent him reeling. Ralsei cast a pacification spell on him.

“Are you alright?” he helped her up. “Here, I’ll heal you.” A golden light washed over her, and her injury was gone. She gave him a quick nod of thanks.

“Okay, there’s only a few of them left,” Kris took up a position beside Frisk. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”

She flashed a grin. “I think I am.”

Susie rolled her eyes. “I see where this is going.” She idly leaned against her halberd.

Kris pointed at one of the remaining soldiers. “You know, I don’t even think I’m in a state to fight you right now. How could I be when all I can think about is you?” He sauntered up to him with a sultry look in his eyes.

“Come on, why don’t we stop this battle now?”

“Um…” the soldier nervously looked back and forth before blurting out, “I need an adult.”

“You are an adult.”

“I need an older adult!”

Ralsei took the opportunity to pacify him. Kris gave Ralsei a mock salute, which he returned.

Frisk pointed at another soldier. “Has anybody ever told you how beautiful your eyes are? They’re just stunningly gorgeous.”

The soldier broke eye contact, fiddling with the collar of her uniform. “Thanks… you have nice eyes, too. And I, um… I really like your accent.”

Frisk giggled. “Hey, I’m pretty, you’re pretty… what do you say we go home and… stare at each other?”

The swordswoman’s face flushed bright red, and she turned away in embarrassment; she seemed positively smitten. She was almost thankful when Ralsei put her to sleep.

Only a single halberdier remained. He was simultaneously impressed and terrified by how quickly his comrades were defeated. He slowly stepped backwards, clutching his weapon tightly.

“You ready to give up?” Susie cocked her head back.

“Of course not,” the soldier tried to maintain his resolve. “Servants of the Shadowborn don’t surrender.”

“Take a look around you, my man. You’re all that’s left.”

“Well… that’ll only make my triumph more glorious!” He suddenly rushed at Susie, swinging his halberd at her.

Without even flinching, she parried the attack, grabbed him by the shoulders, and delivered a swift headbutt. He immediately fell over, unconscious.

“Easy money,” she remarked.

“And that’s all she wrote,” Kris sheathed his sword. “Nice work, team.”

“Fighting normal people instead of legendary killers is a nice change of pace,” Noelle chuckled.

“Amen to that.” Kris turned to Asriel and Frisk. “So, combat situations are actually pretty easy to handle, all things considered. As long as we stick to that same kind of formula, we should be good.”

“Yeah, I see what you mean,” Asriel nodded. “I feel like I’ve got an easy job. You and Frisk did all the heavy lifting. You guys are really good at convincing and, uh… flirting.”

“It’s kinda spooky how good Kris is,” Ralsei commented.

Kris threw his arm around Ralsei. “You know I’ve only got eyes for you, love.”

“You— you see what I mean?” he pulled his scarf up to hide his blush.

“He can be pretty cheesy about it, though,” Susie said.

“Only occasionally,” Kris said. “Believe me, you’ll know when I’m being cheesy.”

“Guys, not to interrupt,” Noelle interjected, “but we should probably move on before more of these guys arrive.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Kris nodded. “Asriel, Frisk, you know the stakes now. You in or out?”

“I’m all in,” Asriel stated.

“I don’t think we can back out in good conscience,” Frisk added.

“Well, if you’re sure, then welcome to the Fun Gang.” Kris’ sentence was followed by a heroic fanfare flourish from nowhere.

“Um…”

“Don’t ask. Let’s go.”

While they walked, Ralsei spoke, “I saw you make a functioning barrier, Frisk. Good job!”

“Well, if you can call that functioning,” she laughed. “Thanks. I think I’m still gonna need you to give me some pointers whenever we have some downtime.”

“Absolutely!”

The six of them carried on.

* * *

Later…

Helsing sat on the throne of Card Castle, carefully analyzing Dr. Gaster’s notes about the Knight. Most of them were details about the synthesis of his soul and physical assessments, and frustratingly little about his ability to pull dark fountains from the earth.

Eventually, he came to a single page that addressed the creation of the second dark fountain. Helsing snapped to attention and closely studied the page, right down to the letter. Alas, he was quickly disappointed with its contents.

‘ _Not even the royal scientist knows how he did it,_ ’ he mentally scoffed. ‘ _Some scientist…_ ’

He set the notes aside and let out an exasperated sigh. All this effort, and he was still no closer to achieving his goal. It was so very disappointing. How could the man who created the Knight from the dark fountain know so little about his capabilities?

‘ _From the dark fountain…_ ’ Helsing suddenly had an epiphany. ‘ _Maybe that’s it. The Knight was composed of power from the dark fountain. That might be what allowed him to create fountains…!_ ”

He stood up, pulling his hood over his head. Hopefully this would be the breakthrough he was after.

Before he could leave, Alric entered the room, greeting him with a formal bow.

“Master Helsing, I’m afraid I have some bad news,” Alric said.

“Ah, hell,” Helsing sighed. “What happened?”

“I have just received word from the teams you have stationed at the Watching Cliffs. A full team was found completely incapacitated. No casualties were reported.”

Helsing would’ve raised an eyebrow if he had one. “No casualties? Any injuries?”

“Only superficial ones, and even then, only a few were injured. Whoever defeated them took special measures to cause as little harm as possible.”

“The Delta Warriors,” Helsing’s tone was unreadable. “Now do you understand why I stationed so many soldiers at the cliffs? We cannot afford to underestimate them.”

“Yes, I understand, Master Helsing.” Alric lowered his head. “What should we do next?”

“Well, for starters, we need to redouble our efforts to hunt down the Delta Warriors. We might need to assign someone to lead the charge.”

A sudden explosion from the nearby kitchen interrupted their conversation. Rouxls Kaard stepped out of the kitchen, his clothes covered in soot and ash, and closed the door behind him.

Helsing sighed heavily. “Rouxls, did you light the kitchen on fire?”

Rouxls shook his head. “Of course not! I wouldst never fail on that levele!”

“Then what was that light?”

“Aurora Borealis.”

Helsing narrowed his eyes. “In the dark world.”

“Yes.”

“Can I see it?”

“No. Now, if thou wilt excuseth me,” Rouxls grabbed a fire extinguisher from the wall, “I must extinguisheth the Aurora Borealis.” He disappeared back into the kitchen.

“Ugh,” Helsing rolled his eyes. “He really is more trouble than he’s worth.”

“Master Helsing, if I may,” Alric said, “even if Rouxls Kaard is… legendarily incompetent, perhaps it would be a good idea to choose him to lead the search for the Delta Warriors.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“Think about it. Rouxls is very familiar with the Delta Warriors. It stands to reason that he’d be able to track them down. Besides, if you send him out, we won’t have to deal with him here.”

“Hm. That actually makes a little sense. And, getting rid of him should make it easier for me to focus.”

Eventually, Rouxls exited the no-longer-burning kitchen, discarding the fire extinguisher.

“Rouxls, I have a new job for you,” Helsing said. “The Delta Warriors are becoming a serious problem. I want you to lead a team to hunt them down and kill them all.”

“Delta Warriors?” Rouxls seemed confused. “Oh, you mean the Fun Gang! The legendary heroes who hath saveth the dark world from certain doom.”

“They call themselves the Fun Gang?” Helsing shook his head. “Look, I don’t care what their real name is. I just want them dead, and you’re leading the hunting party. Got it?”

Rouxls froze in place. How could he possibly lead a kill squad to the heroes? Even from their rather limited interactions, Rouxls considered them to be friends. He couldn’t do this! But if he refused, he would more than likely be put to death. There seemed to be no right choice…

‘ _Unless,_ ’ Rouxls thought, ‘ _perhaps I couldst aid them clandestinely. Sabotage this unwelcome pustule’s reign of tyranny and set the heroes on the right tracke!_ ’

Rouxls nodded. “Very well, sire. I shalt leadeth your men to victory. I will not let you down, Hellstorm!”

“Helsing,” he corrected.

“Right. The would-be heroes willst regret ever standing against your rule.”

“That’s what I like to hear.”


	4. Dark Schemes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rouxls begins his work as an inside man, while Helsing puts his plan in motion.

_“The way is lit, the path is clear. We require only the strength to follow it.”_

_-The Ancestor (Darkest Dungeon)_

* * *

Rouxls walked on through the Watching Cliffs, accompanied by a garrison of Helsing’s soldiers. Despite Rouxls’ multiple requests to travel alone, Helsing insisted that he bring a team with him. Whether Helsing was trying to assist him or seeing through his ruse, he couldn’t say.

They walked along the edge of the cliff, carefully analyzing every dark corner of the area. They came across no more incapacitated squads. There were no signs of the Fun Gang’s presence at all.

“So, Rouxls,” one of the soldiers said, “what exactly should we be watching for?”

“I hath already informed thou, did I not?” Rouxls replied.

“Actually, no you didn’t. You just told us we’re looking for ‘four heroes’.”

“Ah, yes, how foolish of me. But, have thou not heardeth the tales of their heroism?”

“I don’t know. Are they the ones who killed the Knight?”

“No. ‘Twas the foul demon known as Chara, whom the heroes vanquished in a glorious battle!” Rouxls stopped to strike a dramatic pose. “Of course, they wouldst have met a grim fate were it not for I, the valiant Rouxls Kaard!”

Another soldier chimed in, “Wow, you helped them take that thing down?”

“Verily.”

“How’d you do that? Were you like, mission control or something? Did you fight with them?”

Rouxls’ dramatic flair faltered. “Well, nothing quite that directe. I provided them with a map of the dark world, which they useth’d to seek aide and slayeth the demon.”

“Oh.” The crossbowman was no longer impressed.

“Well, at least try to containeth thine enthusiasm.”

“Believe me, it’s not hard at all.”

“Hmph.” Rouxls shook his head and continued walking. He soon found himself lost in his own thoughts. All he could do is hope that he could reach the heroes before anyone else did. He had full confidence in their ability to defend themselves, but Helsing and his men were ruthless killers. And considering their reputation, it only made sense that they would be at the top of Helsing’s hit list.

Truth be told, Rouxls dreaded that even the famed Fun Gang would be unable to dethrone the false monarch on their own. To stop someone like Helsing – with his vast armies of loyal followers – would require another force of comparable strength. But how could such a force be assembled? It would be optimistic to say that the royal guard was in shambles.

Perhaps he could stir up some discontent within Helsing’s ranks. Every army had some less-than-loyal members, after all. The hard part was figuring out who would be considered less than loyal.

Rouxls glanced over the edge of the cliff. A small group of uniquely clad individuals caught his eye. He stopped to take a closer look, and was pleasantly surprised by what he saw.

‘ _I wouldst recognize that getup anywhere,_ ’ he said to himself.

“Okay, team,” he announced, “I hath noticed something down at the baseth of the cliffs. I shalt go to investigateth it, whilst the rest of you continueth your searche over yonder.” He pointed to the west, away from the Fun Gang.

“Don’t you think some of us should come with you?” one of the soldiers questioned.

“No. I believeth that it wouldst be smarter for me to investigate on mine own. That way, we can maintaineth the element of surprise.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Can’t be too careful with these guys, can we? Just be careful.”

The team walked off as instructed, leaving Rouxls alone.

‘ _Rouxls Kaard, thou art a genius!_ ’ he praised himself.

He peered over the edge of the cliff, noting that there was only a single path that led to its base. Said path was long, thin, and winding, folding over itself repeatedly to create a rather perilous trip to the bottom.

‘ _Oh gods, why…_ ’

Down at the bottom of the cliff, Kris cautiously led his companions through the dark, mountainous region that was the Watching Cliffs. Through great skill or, more likely, great luck, they were able to avoid any further conflict with Helsing’s forces.

“Hey, are we at all closer to getting the hell out of here?” Susie groaned.

“Hard to tell,” Kris replied. “This whole goddamn place looks exactly the same. I almost feel like it’s looping…”

“I don’t like having to sneak around like this,” Frisk said. “I hate being on edge like this.”

They had been creeping through the area for just over an hour, but it felt like an eternity. For the most part, the endeavor was more dreadfully boring than anything else. It was surprisingly easy to dodge Helsing’s troops, but the truly monotonous landscape was enough to drive someone mad.

Kris suddenly stopped and motioned for everyone else to do the same. “There’s someone up on the cliff. Eleven o’clock.”

Susie looked up. “Really? That looks more like ten o’clock to me. Maybe 10:30.”

“No, that’s definitely eleven o’clock,” Noelle said.

“No way. That’s 10:30 at most, maybe 10:45 if you really want to push it.”

“Alright, nevermind. There’s someone up there.” Kris pointed in the figure’s direction.

Ralsei looked closely. “He looks a little familiar, doesn’t he?”

“Yeah, actually… Is that who I think it is?”

Cautiously, the six advanced up the dangerously twisting pathway to meet the figure. When they got close, their suspicions were confirmed.

“It’s Rouxls Kaard!” Noelle said.

“Greetings, valiant heroes,” Rouxls gave a respectful bow. “I have cometh to assist thou in thine time of need. I also see thou hath brought some new faces along.”

“Yep. That’s my brother, Asriel, and his girlfriend, Frisk,” Kris explained.

“Hey there.” Asriel waved.

“Nice to meet you.” Frisk matched his bow with a curtsy.

“’Tis a pleasure,” Rouxls nodded. “But as much as I wouldst enjoyeth the introductions, we haveth much more pressing matters at hand.”

“You mean the hostile takeover?” Kris said. “Yeah, we heard about that. That’s why we’re here, actually.”

“Believeth me, this is no mere hostile takeover. The false monarch Helsing hath laid claim to Lancer’s kingdom, with a most nefarious scheme in the works.”

“Well, no one takes over a kingdom without one,” Susie crossed her arms. “How nefarious are we talking?”

“He is using precious information from the royal scientist’s laboratory, concerningeth the Knight. I overheardeth him talking to himself about the Knight’s ability to createth dark fountains. I believeth he is trying to create more dark fountains.”

“Kris, didn’t you say that more than one dark fountain puts the light world in danger?” Asriel asked.

“Yeah, that’s right,” Kris nodded. “So why would this Helsing guy want to make more?”

Ralsei chimed in, “I’m not sure why, but the lightners apparently ‘abandoned’ the darkners a long time ago. Even with everything you guys have done, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think some of them might still hold a grudge.”

“So this is basically a revenge play? Amass darkness to tip the scales and swallow the light world or something?”

“I think that’s his plan.”

“Well, we have to stop him,” Frisk said, pretending she understood what they were talking about. “What can we do?”

“Thou must stick to tine objective: defeat the false monarch Helsing,” Rouxls declared. “Should he createth any dark fountains, thou must sealeth them post haste! Kris, Frisk, the power within thine souls is more than capable of sealing them.

“Proceed with caution, though. This quality doth make you a priority target for Helsing. It is of utmost importance that thou do not perish.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had someone dead set on killing me,” Kris said.

“Yes, thou knoweth what to expect. Helsing is currently residing in Card Castle, but his forces hath cemented their presence there. It wouldst be quite perilous to besiege the castle, even for thee. I suggest thou rally a fighting force of thine own to compete with Helsing’s.”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea, but where the hell are we gonna find an army? Weren’t the real castle guards slaughtered?”

Rouxls’ expression turned grim. “Indeed, they were. But there art more cities and townships in the dark world. Surely, they must haveth soldiers of their own. Thou art quite persuasive, so…”

“I hear you. We’ll try our best, but I think we should scope the place out for ourselves.”

“I understand. Do stay safe, though. I shalt aid thou to my greatest capacity. I will feedeth him untrue information and tryeth to sabotage his schemes. Kris, I trust thou still possess the map I gave thou?”

Kris grabbed the map from his pocket. “Right here. Why?”

Rouxls took the map and scribbled a long and winding path across the Watching Cliffs. “Follow this path. It shalt lead you through the area safely.”

Noelle studied his proposed path. “This just wraps over itself over and over. Couldn’t we just go straight through?”

Rouxls slumped over in an exaggerated fashion. “Yes, I suppose thou couldst…”

“Alright, important details out of the way. Let’s go punch this guy’s lights out.” Susie cracked her knuckles.

“Yeah, I think we should head out now,” Kris nodded. “Thanks for your help, Rouxls. Just don’t put yourself at too much risk for our sake.”

“I knoweth how to handle mineself,” Rouxls bowed. “Good luck, heroes!” He walked back up the cliff side, soon disappearing over the top.

“Well, that was interesting,” Asriel deadpanned. “Let’s get out of here.”

“I didn’t understand half the words you were using,” Frisk admitted. “Lightners, darkners, dark fountains… Can someone explain all of that to me?”

“Right, we didn’t really have time to get you up to speed,” Kris said. “We’ll tell you everything on the way. For now, let’s roll.”

* * *

Elsewhere…

Helsing stood idly before the dark fountain, staring into it. No matter how many times he saw it, he always found himself briefly enraptured by the sight of it. This whirling torrent of pure darkness gave the dark world its form, and allowed its inhabitants to not only live, but thrive.

“Master Helsing,” Alric’s words snapped him back to attention. “Are you sure this is going to work?”

“It’s the only thread we have to pull on,” he told him. “Besides, how much harm could trying this cause, anyway?”

“Well, people have tried to do this in the past. Most of them couldn’t handle it, and they descended into madness because of it.”

“Most, not all. That’s good enough for me.”

“Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Alric muttered under his breath.

Helsing reached into the fountain. Immediately, he felt a searing pain as the fountain’s energies surged through his body. He grit his teeth, dropping to one knee and slamming his fist into the ground hard enough to crack it. It was all he could do to not scream.

After a few agony-filled seconds, he pulled his hand out of the fountain, breathing heavily. When the pain finally subsided, he stood.

“Master Helsing, are you alright?” Alric helped him up.

“Yes, I would say so.” Helsing inspected his hand. Small, thin tendrils of pure darkness snaked around it, each one humming with power.

Helsing smirked. “Yes, I think we’re in business now. Now it’s time for the field test.”

Him and Alric, along with a team of soldiers, walked off to a barren, secluded area a modest distance from Castle Town. There were no other living creatures in sight. The only sound that could be heard was the howling wind.

“This place will work nicely,” Helsing sauntered forward. “Everyone stand back.”

Helsing’s hand surged with power. He brought it to the ground, which cracked apart on contact. He closed his hand and felt himself grip something. The tendrils on his hand briefly rooted themselves in the ground, then retracted. He violently pulled up, tearing streams of darkness from the earth.

With a final pull, Helsing ripped the ground apart, causing a massive torrent of darkness to flow forth and into the sky. He shook the dirt off his hand as he stepped back to admire his handiwork.

“There are those who said it couldn’t be done,” Helsing grinned. “Well, they were wrong.”

Alric gave him a respectful bow. “Master Helsing, I must admit, I didn’t expect this to work so well. You continue to amaze.”

“Thank you, Alric. But this never would have happened if it weren’t for you and my loyal army. I like to give credit where it’s due.”

“Thank you, sir.”

They jumped when the new fountain began to erratically ebb and flow. The single stream of darkness splintered off into several errant ones, each one pulsing or randomly veering off in another direction. The color of the fountain shifted from pure black to mottled gray.

“I don’t think that’s supposed to happen,” Alric said.

“Get back!” Helsing retreated away from the fountain, with everyone else following closely behind.

The soldiers firmly planted their shields into the ground to form a defensive line. Helsing and Alric took cover behind them.

They watched in horror as the fountain destabilized, detonating with enough force to shake the ground beneath them. Dark energy washed over the area, coating the ground in a thick, viscous fluid. When everyone recovered, they looked up to see that the stream of darkness had ceased.

“What the hell happened?” Helsing spoke with thinly veiled anger.

“I-I have no idea, Master Helsing,” Alric stammered. “I didn’t think that— I never could’ve predicted—”

“Stop. I’m not upset with you, I’m just upset at the events that just transpired. What did I do wrong?”

“Perhaps something was off with your technique? I hate to say it, but I think you need to practice this for some time.”

Helsing let out a heavy sigh. “Damnit. Well, I might as well get started.” He turned to the soldiers. “I want you to lock down this area. I’m not sure if it’ll have any value, but keep me posted on any changes or… you know, anything _unusual_.”

“Yes, sir.” They saluted him.

He nodded. “Come on, Alric. Let’s head back to the castle.”


	5. A Minor Misstep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alric and the boys deal with the fallout of Helsing's failed attempt at creating a dark fountain.

_"If I wasn’t meant to recover from mistakes, why on earth would I make so many of them?”_

_-Northernlion_

* * *

Helsing sat upon his appropriated throne, obsessively sifting through Dr. Gaster’s notes. He had already looked through them dozens of times, but he was thoroughly convinced that there was something critical that he was missing. There had to be! There had to be something – anything – that clearly outlined how the Knight came to possess his incredible ability.

‘ _For God’s sake, no one cares about your sons other than you,_ ’ Helsing complained internally. ‘ _I thought this was a collection of research notes, not your damn journal._ ’

His hand ached. Ever since he absorbed the power of the dark fountain, his hand was periodically racked with a dull pain. The tendrils wrapping the appendage tightened their grip. He sighed, trying to simply ignore the pain. Surely it had to go away eventually, right?

“Master Helsing?” Alric’s words shook him from his thoughts.

“Alric,” Helsing acknowledged. “I thought you were leading a team to track down the Delta Warriors.”

“I left Lieutenant Garrick in charge of the team. He’s fully capable. Are you still reading those notes?”

“Yes.” Helsing was no longer looking at Alric.

“Sir, do you know how long you’ve been here?”

“I don’t know. Ten, twenty minutes?”

“Four hours.”

Helsing glanced at the clock on the wall. “Huh. I guess I lost track of time for a bit.”

Alric shook his head. “Master Helsing, you’ve probably memorized those notes down to the letter at this point. Don’t you think it’s time to find another thread to pull on?”

Slowly, Helsing set the stack of papers aside and turned to Alric. “There has to be something in there that I’m missing. I just know that if I find it, we’ll be golden.”

“Have you thought about returning to the royal scientist’s lab and searching for more information there?”

Helsing blinked. “…No, I haven’t, actually. I might have outthought myself and glossed over all the simple solutions.” He stood up and pulled his hood over his head. “I’ll be heading there now. Keep an eye on things while I’m gone.”

“Yes, sir.”

Helsing winced as his hand began to ache again. The pains had only gotten worse as time went on. It was something he found very disconcerting.

“Alric, do we have a medic at the castle right now?”

“Six, actually. Why?”

Helsing glanced at his hand, watching its tendrils writhe uncomfortably. “I think I need to get this looked at. As soon as I come back, actually.”

“I shall inform them right away.”

“Thank you, Alric. Farewell for now.” Helsing left the room, throwing his cloak behind himself to create a dramatic flair.

As soon as he was sure Helsing was gone, Alric snatched up the notes beside the throne and tucked them into his coat.

‘ _No sense in letting him obsess over old information,_ ’ he told himself. He sighed. ‘ _I’ve never seen him so single minded, though… Hopefully it’s nothing to worry about._

‘ _But matters like this are almost always something to worry about, aren’t they?_ ’

Before he could do anything else, a soldier burst into the room, nursing multiple deep wounds. He looked as if he had seen a ghost.

“Alric, where’s Helsing?!” he shouted frantically.

Alric was taken aback. “He— he just left to search the royal scientist’s lab again. What happened to you?”

“It’s the— the new dark fountain! Something’s happening to the team stationed there!” The soldier hissed in pain as he dropped to his knees. “That darkness shit is doing something to them.”

Alric helped him stand up. “What kind of something?”

“The kind that turns people into deranged maniacs. They’ve gone completely off the deep end… They’re attacking anyone that isn’t like them; as in, anyone normal. And they had these freaky tentacles…”

“Damnit…!” Alric cursed under his breath. “Alright, I’ll assemble a team to investigate. You get yourself to the nearest medic.”

“Yeah, okay… thanks.” The soldier limped off.

Alric let out a frustrated sigh. ‘ _Things always go from bad to worse, don’t they…_ ’

* * *

“So, Alric,” a swordsman said, “if that dead fountain really is mutating people, what are we gonna do about it?”

“I haven’t thought that far just yet,” Alric answered. “I suppose the first step would be putting them out of their misery. Beyond that, I think all we can do is quarantine the area and see if our mages can do anything about the fallout.”

“Really, that’s all you got?”

“This matter only came up recently. I haven’t had time to formulate a real plan.”

Alric had gathered a team of twenty or so soldiers to investigate the supposed mutations. Several of Helsing’s men in Castle Town were already preparing lines of defense before Alric and his team had even arrived. Clearly, this wasn’t just the fearful ramblings of a traumatized soldier.

Alric led his team to a ridge close to the site of the failed fountain. They slowly crept forward, keeping their weapons at the ready. Alric gasped as he peered over the ridge, and his soldiers exchanged looks of horror.

Down below, the team that once guarded the area shambled about, carelessly dragging their weapons across the blighted ground. Their bodies twitched and writhed unnaturally as they frantically glanced back and forth. Each one possessed a mess of shadowy tendrils growing from various parts of their bodies.

“…This is worse than I imagined,” Alric muttered. “How did this happen?”

“I’m getting kinda sick just looking at them,” a halberdier said.

“Yeah…” another soldier readied her crossbow. “So, should we start blasting?”

“I think it’s our only option,” Alric sighed. “Be careful, though. I don’t think anyone wants to see what they can do firsthand.”

She took a knee beside him. “Please. They’ll be dead before they even know what hit them.”

She loosed a shot at one of the mutated soldiers, nailing it right in the head. It let out a tortured grunt of pain and fell to the ground.

“Bullseye.” She smirked.

She was surprised when the creature climbed to its feet and plucked the bolt from its head. It twisted its head at an unnatural angle, accompanied by a sickening _crunch_. Its empty eyes snapped onto each soldier individually.

“I think you just made him angry,” Alric said.

The creature looked to the sky and let out a terrible howl. The others snapped to attention, brandishing their weapons and turning to face their attackers.

“Yes, he seems very angry. So do his friends.”

“Then let’s get to work.” One of Alric’s soldiers jumped down and charged at one of the creatures, thrusting a spear in its direction.

As soon as the weapon pierced its flesh, its dark tendrils snaked around it in a vise grip. The spearman struggled to pull his weapon free, to no avail. The creature violently pulled him close before repeatedly stabbing him in the chest with a dagger. It tossed him aside as his body crumbled to dust.

“Holy hell, these guys came to play,” a swordsman took on a defensive stance.

“Damn!” Alric stepped back. “Kill them!”

The rest of his forces clashed with the twisted abominations.

* * *

Elsewhere, a few minutes ago…

After a rather lengthy walk, the Fun Gang had finally found their way out of the Watching Cliffs and into the fields beyond Castle Town. Thanks to Rouxls’ directions, they were able to dodge the rest of Helsing’s troops.

“Alright, that place sucked,” Kris said. “Thank God we’re out of there.”

“Agreed,” Asriel said. “So, where to now?”

“Card Castle’s to the east. It’s not too far away, so we should be able to get there pretty quick.”

“Don’t you think we should check out Castle Town?” Susie asked.

“I think that’s a terrible idea. If this Helsing guy is trying to use power from the dark fountain, that place will have more guards than Card Castle.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

The six proceeded to the east. There was no sign of Helsing’s interference in the fields. In fact, there were no other signs of life at all. Kris guessed that anyone that would normally be here was in hiding somewhere, trying to avoid the false king’s reach.

“This place is beautiful,” Frisk admired the local flora. “I wish we had time to enjoy it.”

“It’s kinda funny how every time we’re all in the dark world together, we’re trying to stop a world threatening crisis,” Ralsei commented.

“I think that’s just the hero’s burden,” Asriel said. “Never a moment to stop and smell the roses.”

“Yeah… the one downside of being a hero.”

Silence fell over the group as they walked on. They encountered no kind of opposition, which they all appreciated. They seldom had downtime such as this.

Eventually, Kris spoke up. “So, Frisk, why don’t you tell us a little about yourself? I’d like to get to know you a little better.”

“Oh, okay,” Frisk nodded. “What would you like to know? I don’t really know where to start…”

“Well, for starters, I really love your voice. What kind of accent is that?”

She giggled. “Thank you. I actually hear that quite a lot. It’s a Czech accent, by the way.”

“Czech? Are you an exchange student or something?” Noelle asked.

“Nope. I was born in Czechia, but I was raised in America. My biological parents taught me a little Czech, but I’ve been with my adoptive parents for most of my life, so I actually can’t speak Czech very well. I kept the accent, though, so… Czechmate.”

“Oh, you’re adopted?”

“Yeah. My parents are monsters, actually.”

“Hey, we’re kindred spirits!” Kris said, giving Frisk a high five.

Their conversation was interrupted by a thunderous surge from behind them. They turned around, brandishing their weapons. They were shocked to see that there was no adversary behind them; rather, there was a massive torrent of darkness cutting through the sky off in the distance.

“What the hell…?” Susie eyeballed the torrent.

“That’s another dark fountain…” Ralsei watched in horror. “Helsing actually created another dark fountain. I hope we’re not too late to stop him…”

“The only way we’ll ever be too late is if _we’re_ late,” Kris declared. “As in, deceased.”

Before they could continue down their current line of thought, the fountain destabilized and collapsed upon itself, detonating violently enough to shake the ground beneath them.

“I’m guessing that isn’t supposed to happen,” Asriel said.

“I think you’d be right,” Noelle said. “I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.”

“It could go either way,” Ralsei told her. “On one hand, the fact that he couldn’t make a stable fountain means he still has a long way to go before he takes over completely. On the other hand, something like that could have a terrible impact on the dark world.”

“How terrible are we talking?” Susie asked. “Nuclear fallout? Demon plague? Rift in the space-time continuum?”

“I don’t know, but we really need to move before we find out.”

“No argument here, brother. Let’s go.”

The six marched on with greater haste.

* * *

“Retreat! Retreat!” Alric frantically beckoned his troops to follow him as he moved back toward Castle Town.

The abominations from the failed fountain had mercilessly slaughtered his team. His soldiers were able to kill a few of the creatures, but the ones that remained had horrifically torn them apart, sometimes literally. Only four of Alric’s troops were still standing.

Upon hearing Alric’s order, the soldiers ceased their engagement and rushed after him. They struggled to fend off the creatures as they followed after them. The creatures were terrifyingly durable, shrugging off sword strikes and fiery magic attacks without faltering much at all.

When the soldiers pulled back to a safe distance, they did a quick head count, and found themselves short one person.

“Where’s Mara?” a swordsman said. “She was right with me a second ago!”

They looked over the battlefield to find Mara, the crossbow marksman, desperately crawling toward her comrades, blood flowing freely from a gaping wound in her chest.

“Come on, you can make it!” their remaining mage sent as many flaming projectiles at the creatures as he could muster, which was not very many.

Mara forced herself to stand, but quickly collapsed to her knees, coughing up blood. Several dark tendrils wrapped around her throat, pulling her back into the grasp of one of the creatures. She fought against it in vain.

Her flailing was soon stopped when it plunged its hand into her chest and violently tore her soul from her body. It shoved the soul into an orifice on its body, allowing her to dissolve to dust.

“What the fuck?! It just ate her fucking soul!” the swordsman nearly dropped his weapon in shock.

“Get away! _Move!_ ” Alric fled for his life. His troops followed him closely.

The creatures pursued them briefly, but abruptly came to a halt when they stepped onto untainted ground. They stood in place, eyeing Alric and his team threateningly.

“What gives? Why’d they stop?” the mage breathed heavily.

“I don’t know…” Alric watched them closely.

After a tense moment of what looked like very careful deliberation, the creatures groaned dismissively and shambled away, back to the bloodstained battlefield.

Alric breathed a sigh of relief. “It looks like they don’t want to leave the site of the fountain. Maybe because it’s what spawned them?”

“We shouldn’t tempt fate,” the mage advised. “Let’s get out of here while we can.”

Alric nodded and led his team back to Castle Town, now at a slightly more relaxed pace.

What seemed like a simple job quickly turned into a massacre. Whatever had happened to those abominations, they seemed to be beyond saving. Unfortunately, it made them terrifyingly strong combatants.

‘ _Quite the conundrum,_ ’ Alric mused. ‘ _How are we going to kill those things? More importantly, how are we going to contain that blight?_ ’


	6. Touched by the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Fun Gang arrives at Card Castle.

_“And now, the darkness holds dominion… Black as death.”_

_-The Ancestor (Darkest Dungeon)_

* * *

Helsing stalked his way into the crumbling ruin of a lab. He paid no heed to the Knight’s memorial. Immediately upon entering, he got to work combing through the mountainous stacks of leftover paperwork.

“There has to be something here,” he muttered aloud to himself. “There has to be. Something, anything…!”

He grabbed stack after stack of old research notes, carefully analyzing each and every one of them, right down to the punctuation marks. He carelessly discarded them when they failed to provide the information he so desperately sought after.

‘ _Ralsei, irrelevant… Another ‘woe is me’ spiel, garbage… Downpour had a hive mind?_ ’

Papers fell to the floor by the dozens. When the pile reached ankle height, Helsing slammed his fists onto the desk in frustration.

“Useless, useless, useless!” His final word was punctuated by a swift kick to the leg of the desk. He hissed in pain when he realized he had just kicked solid wood.

He took a deep breath. “Focus, Helsing. Just stay calm and keep looking…”

He looked over to the other desks, briefly wondering why the royal scientist would need so many. The horrifically unmanaged stacks of papers strewn about nearly brought a tear to his eye. He let out a heavy sigh and got to work sifting through them.

Helsing spent the better part of an hour reading through 22 years worth of Dr. Gaster’s writings. He was completely oblivious to the passage of time. Any amount of time spent here would be worth it in the end.

…Or so he thought. He cast aside stack after stack of papers, angrily muttering to himself the whole time. When he came to the end of the last stack, he still had found nothing of value to him.

“This whole ordeal was a waste of time,” Helsing spoke through gritted teeth. “All this time, and you ever even considered studying the Knight’s ability to pull goddamn dark fountains from the earth?”

He turned to leave, slipping on the papers that now coated the floor and falling on his face. He stood, trembling with rage, and unleashed a blast of dark magic that reduced most of the papers to ashes. He grunted in pain when the dark tendrils around his hand tightened.

“Maybe Alric’s right,” he sighed. “Maybe this is just a skill that requires practice. I’ll figure it out eventually – I have to.”

With that, he left the lab behind.

* * *

Later…

Helsing slunk into his throne room and threw himself down onto his throne. He briefly looked over his hand. The tendrils had begun to creep up his arm, and were firmly in place – they weren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

He pondered whether he should actually be concerned by this. Indeed, it was painful, but perhaps this was merely the prelude to receiving some greater power from the dark fountain. After all, he was born of the dark. He was a Shadowborn. It would be wrong to strip this away, wouldn’t it?

“Ah, welcome back, Master Helsing,” Alric’s voice shook Helsing from his thoughts.

“Alric. I trust things went well while I was gone?”

“Well, yes, but… actually, not really.”

“What happened?”

Alric looked out the window. “It’s the dark fountain you tried to create. The team stationed at the area has been, um… corrupted.”

Helsing snapped to attention. “Corrupted how?”

“Well, for starters, they were all mutated beyond recognition. Horrible twitching and writhing, tentacles of darkness coming off of their bodies…” Alric shuddered. “All of them seemed to have gone completely mad. And it’s worth noting that one of them… ate one of our soldiers’ soul.”

“Great, fantastic.” Helsing stood up. “Does anyone know how that happened?”

“All signs point to it being the fallout left behind by the fountain’s explosion. The substance doesn’t resemble the true dark fountain at all. Whatever it is, it’s mutating anyone that comes in contact with it.”

“Well, we need to get a handle on it, then. Are we taking any measures to contain it?”

“So far, the substance isn’t spreading at all, and the creatures refuse to leave the area. They didn’t even follow us when they were trying to kill us.”

“Okay, that’s good. Is there any way we can get rid of that substance?”

“If there is, we haven’t discovered it yet.”

Helsing sighed. “Well, at least I know now – if a fountain collapses, keep everyone away from it.”

“Oh, speaking of which, did you find anything useful at the royal scientist’s lab?”

Helsing growled. “No, I didn’t. There was absolutely nothing of value in that hellhole. Just eight novels worth of garbage.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. If we don’t have anymore leads, how are we going to proceed?”

“Just what you suggested earlier. I’ll keep trying to create more fountains. Maybe something was just off in my technique. I’ll figure it out sooner or later.” Helsing looked down at his hand, clenching it into a fist. “I carry the might of the darkness, after all.”

“Indeed, you do, Master Helsing.”

Their conversation came to an end when a soldier suddenly burst into the room.

“Master Helsing, we’re getting reports of sightings of the Delta Warriors. They’re allegedly in the scarlet forest, and they’re closing in on the castle.”

“Wait, what?” Helsing was surprised. “I thought Rouxls Kaard said they were heading toward Backwater. For his sake, I hope he just made a mistake.”

“We’ll worry about that later,” Alric said. “How close are they?”

“Not too far, maybe 30 minutes out,” the soldier replied. “We have some time to prepare, but not much.”

“Well, let’s get ready, then.” Helsing drew his scythe and left the room.

The soldier watched as he left, then peered out the window. “You know, I’ve never met a man that simultaneously had all his priorities in order, and had his priorities entirely backwards.”

“What do you mean?” Alric said.

“Helsing’s real eager to kill the Delta Warriors so they don’t screw us over, but at the same time,” he gestured to the window, “he’s really trying to remodel right now?”

“…Actually, you’re right, that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, does it?”

* * *

Meanwhile…

“…so once Gaster pulled Chara’s soul out of my body, we ended up having to fight her to the death,” Kris said. He and his companions had spent the past several minutes explaining the events of their previous visit to the dark world to Frisk.

Susie chimed in, “Even though it was hell on earth and we almost died, you gotta admit, it was a hell of a fight. I’m talking a serious battle of the ages!”

“You’re not wrong, but it’s definitely not something I’d want to repeat,” Noelle said.

“So, what happened?” Frisk asked. “If Chara was such a big threat, she must’ve been pretty brutal.”

“That’s putting it lightly,” Kris said. “She had these spectral knives, an army of reflections of herself, and the world was collapsing around us the whole time. Not exactly what I’d call a fun time.”

“There was the four of us, plus Gaster and Sariel, and it was still a knockdown, drag-out fight,” Ralsei added.

Kris nodded. “We all went all out. Sariel ended up getting killed, and the rest of us barely made it out alive. I think I was the one who came the closest to dying. I got stabbed real close to the heart.”

“But we still won!” Susie declared. “We iced Chara and only had one death. All things considered, I think that’s pretty good.”

“One death is still too many,” Ralsei chided.

“Yeah, you’re right, but I’m just saying it could’ve been a lot worse.”

“You were all okay after all that, right?” Frisk asked. “No permanent injuries, no… you know, psychological scarring?”

“Chara was the psychological scar,” Kris said. “Beyond that, though, I think we’re all fine. My chest still hurts occasionally, but it’s nothing too serious.”

“That’s good to hear.” Frisk paused for a second. “You know, it’s weird to me to hear you talking about Chara being such a horrible, uh… person, because I know someone named Chara, and she’s one of the nicest people I know.”

“That’s a funny coincidence. She’s a good friend of yours, huh?”

“More than that, actually. We were dating for a while, but neither of us thought it was really working between us, so we started seeing other people. We’re still friends, though.”

“That’s nice. It’s not every day you get to stay friends with your ex.”

Frisk nodded, and the conversation ended there. Even though she had only been with the Fun Gang for less than a full day, she found herself very attached to them all. They considered her a friend of theirs, something she couldn’t have imagined happening for months, if at all. She was finally able to let herself relax ever so slightly around them.

She could only hope this friendship would last.

“Well, here we are,” Susie’s voice shook Frisk from her thoughts.

“I can’t say I like what they’ve done with the place,” Kris said. “Not a fan of their fashion sense either. Black knights are cool every once in a while, but they lose their impact when they’re around every corner.”

The six advanced toward Card Castle, taking care to remain out of sight. The castle grounds were crawling with Helsing’s troops, each one brandishing some kind of weapon or another. They were vigilant, and between all of them, they had eyes on every inch of the area.

“Okay, what’s the plan?” Asriel asked.

“Obviously, there’s no way we can take them all,” Kris said. “We need to play this safe. Separate them and pick them off one by one, carve a path to Helsing, and gank his ass.”

“Didn’t Rouxls Kaard say we should be rallying an army to take him on?” Frisk said.

“He did, and I think he’s right,” Ralsei confirmed. “Going in with just the six of us is suicidal.”

Kris looked over the area again and nodded slowly. “Yeah, you’re right. I guess we’re heading east.”

“But how are we supposed to build up an entire army?” Noelle entered the conversation.

“We came along a few towns during our last visit. I think we might be able to convince them to join the fight. The fate of both worlds is on the line, after all.”

Susie sneered. “Well, I sure hope you’re good at convincing, ‘cause I don’t think people are gonna be eager to go to war on a moment’s notice.”

“Susie, you do understand that we got through pretty much everything up to this point by convincing people, right? Besides, between me and Frisk,” he struck a dramatic pose, “we’re charismatic enough to make people want to follow us into hell.”

“If you say so.” She waved her hand dismissively.

Up on the roof of the castle, Helsing watched as the Fun Gang approached. He was flanked by Alric and one of his lieutenants, both of whom were waiting attentively.

“On my word, you cast the signal, and I’ll join you on the ground,” Helsing said.

“Yes, sir,” the lieutenant gave a salute.

“Master Helsing, if I may,” Alric spoke, “wouldn’t it be more practical to simply blindside them rather than make this theatrical display?”

Helsing chuckled. “You’re not wrong, but you need to respect the value of dramatic flair. If I just ambushed them, they’d be fueled by adrenaline and fight to the bitter end. A dramatic entrance has the chance of intimidating them and weakening their will to fight.”

“Forgive me, but if their will didn’t falter when they fought a world destroying demon, I don’t think this display will break them.”

“Well, it’s worth a try.” Helsing gestured to his lieutenant. “Light ‘em up.”

The lieutenant nodded, then proceeded to loose a magical projectile in the Fun Gang’s direction. It impacted the ground next to them, and emanated a bright, intense light that functioned as a beacon in the darkness.

“What the hell is that?” Asriel stepped back defensively.

“Bad, probably,” Kris said.

All around them, Helsing’s soldiers turned to face the blazing light. Within seconds, they had gathered around the Fun Gang, poised and ready to strike.

“Well, shit,” Susie sighed.

From his position atop the castle, Helsing’s body dissolved into the shadows, recomposing itself on the ground before them. He stared at them with hate-filled eyes, his scythe at the ready.

“Ah, you must be Helsing,” Kris acknowledged. “It’s a displeasure to meet you.”

“I could say the same, Delta Warriors,” Helsing said. “I’m going to say this very plainly: I don’t want you interfering with my plans. This is your one and only chance to give up. Unconditional surrender; this is not open for negotiation.”

“You sure about that?” Susie’s eyes flashed with rage. “I’d say biting someone’s throat out is a good negotiation tactic.”

“Very funny.”

Susie took a step toward him, baring her teeth. “I’m sorry, did you think I was joking?”

Helsing pushed her away with the snath of his scythe. “Unless you have a death wish, you’ll surrender right now.”

“No, I don’t think we will,” Kris said, drawing his sword. His companions readied themselves for combat as well.

Helsing tapped his scythe on the ground, and his soldiers entered a battle formation.

“Then die.”


	7. Hell's Bells

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Fun Gang does battle with Helsing.

_"Time to fight, guardians.”_

_-Lord Shaxx (Destiny)_

* * *

Not even a second had passed before all hell broke loose. Steel met steel, magical projectiles flew in all directions, and both sides splintered off into groups locked in their own skirmishes. Helsing slowly marched through the chaos on the battlefield, his eyes locked on Kris.

“I cannot allow you to live, human,” he spoke with venom in his voice. “You, or your human friend. I’m willing to accept the others’ surrender, so why make this harder than it needs to be?”

“You’re asking me to let you kill me,” Kris sneered. “Not happening.”

Helsing’s grip on his scythe tightened. “I’m going to kill you and the girl, whether you accept your fate or not. Spare yourself the trouble of fighting in vain and let me wrap this up now.”

“Gonna have to pass on that one, chief.” Kris slashed at Helsing, who flitted back out of its reach.

“It’s funny how you act like it’s your decision.”

Helsing leapt forward, delivering a rapid series of blows with his scythe. Every swing of his weapon was accompanied by trails of pure darkness, billowing out like flames. Kris barely had time to raise his shield to defend, and was forced to his knees by the brutal assault.

Helsing laughed. “If you crumble this quickly, how the hell did you ever stand up to the Knight?”

“It went kinda like this, actually,” Kris stood and readied his sword.

Helsing prepared another attack, but was blindsided by a barrage of flames and lightning from Ralsei and Asriel. He evaded a followup attack by dissolving into the shadows and reemerging a short distance away.

“You stay away from my brother!” Asriel commanded, electricity crackling in his hands.

“Don’t interfere with me.” Helsing ran at him, dragging the blade of his scythe on the ground behind him. He performed a rising slash that created a torrent of darkness in its wake, and slammed down into Asriel, pinning him to the ground beneath his boot.

Kris rushed at Helsing and drove his sword into his back. Helsing whipped around and conjured an explosion at Kris’ feet, knocking him to the ground.

Ralsei quickly healed Asriel and helped him up. “Are you okay?”

Asriel nodded. “I think so. That guy hits hard.”

Helsing shot a withering glare at Ralsei. “Well, well, if it isn’t the _deserter_. Tell me, how does it feel to be a total failure?”

Ralsei sent a series of flaming projectiles at Helsing. “I’m not a failure.”

“I beg to differ.” He faded into the shadows and reappeared behind him, delivering a swift kick to the back.

Helsing looked down at him with contempt. “You’re worse than a deserter, actually. You’re a goddamn traitor to the dark world. I ought to execute you right here.”

Behind him, Asriel conjured a blade in each hand. Kris stood beside him with his own sword readied. In unison, they hacked away at Helsing, eliciting a pained gasp. They jumped back when he swung his scythe in retaliation.

“Who the hell do you think you are, calling Ralsei a traitor?” Kris spoke through gritted teeth.

“I think I’m the king of the dark world,” he slashed at Kris. “To side with the lightners that abandoned us all is unforgivable. You defile our world with your mere presence.”

“You sure know how to talk a lot,” Susie’s voice came from behind him, and was quickly followed by a heavy strike from her halberd. “Am I gonna have to bust you up a bit to get you to shut up?”

“Weren’t you busy with my troops just a few seconds ago?”

“Oh, we got Frisk to talk to them. She’s got ‘em on lockdown.”

Helsing glanced in Frisk’s direction. Sure enough, she was engaged in conversation with no less than a dozen of his soldiers, none of which seemed to even consider the idea of attacking. Some of them even went as far as to sheathe their weapons.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Helsing rolled his eyes. “What the hell are you doing?! Fight!”

“Oh, right. Yes, sir, right away!” one of the soldiers hastily redrew his weapon. “To arms, men!”

“Hey, now, there’s no need for that,” Frisk gave a warm smile. “We can all be friends here, can’t we?”

“No, we can’t!” Helsing prepared to lunge at her, but was struck in the chest by a shot from Noelle. He hissed in pain as he pulled it out and tossed it aside.

“We’re gonna beat your ass the same way we beat the Knight’s ass,” Susie declared. “You’re nothing special.” She took another swing at Helsing.

He swung his scythe with enough force to parry the attack and knock the weapon from Susie’s hand. “Mind your tongue before I pull it from your mouth.”

“I could bite your hand off no problem.” She reclaimed her weapon and charged at Helsing.

Helsing dematerialized and reformed behind her, whacked her in the head with the snath of his scythe, and drove its blade into her abdomen, tearing it free with a spray of blood. He followed up by kicking her to the ground.

“All talk and no skill.” He raised his scythe to finish her off.

Kris attacked Helsing from behind, but had his attack deflected. Helsing slashed at the ground, creating a wall of black flames. Kris jumped back to narrowly avoid it.

“Die.” Helsing brought his scythe down on Susie, only to have it bounce off of a magic barrier, which shattered immediately. He looked over at Frisk, who gave a thumbs up and a grin.

Ralsei cast a healing spell on Susie. She stood back up and buried her halberd in Helsing’s shoulder. He suppressed a scream and retaliated with a whirling slash that left roiling darkness in its wake. The attack sent Susie stumbling backwards.

Asriel prepared a spell, but was knocked to the ground when one of Helsing’s soldiers struck him from behind. A small group gathered around him and began to stomp him into the ground. He tried in vain to fight them off.

The group dispersed when Ralsei assaulted them with a fiery barrage. Kris stepped in to strike one of them with the pommel of his sword. Asriel stood and shot a lightning bolt at each of them. Ralsei finished them off by casting a pacification spell, then proceeded to heal Asriel.

“There’s too many of them!” Asriel scanned the crowd of Helsing’s troops gathered around them. There were dozens of them – maybe even hundreds. It seemed like Frisk was having a harder time convincing them to stop fighting, considering how many of them were closing in with their weapons raised.

Kris’ grip on his sword tightened. “I think you’re right. We can’t stay here. We need to find a way out of here.”

“We’re completely surrounded!” Flames surged in Ralsei’s hands. “How can we get through them?”

“Probably rip and tear strats. Susie cuts a path through them and we run for it.”

“Yeah, sounds great,” Susie barked. “If we’re doing that, maybe you could come and help me!” She deflected an attack from Helsing and countered. He slunk back to avoid her strikes and continued his own assault.

Noelle loosed a bolt from her crossbow, hitting Helsing in the arm. He turned to face her, stepping to the side to evade another shot. As soon as he took a step toward her, Susie tripped him with a swing of her halberd.

“Don’t even think about it,” she snarled. She brought her halberd down upon him, only to have him sink into the shadows and reappear a short distance away.

“That’s it,” he hissed. “I’m taking you down, by any means necessary.” The dark tendrils that wrapped his hand began to surge violently as he slammed his fist into the ground. The earth around him trembled and cracked, small streams of darkness bursting from the surface.

“Everyone get back!” Ralsei shouted frantically. “ _Run!_ ”

Everyone retreated as Helsing pulled forth a torrent of dark energy. It wildly cascaded into the skies, fracturing into several stray beams. It fired off several bursts of darkness in all directions, marring the landscape. Helsing swiped through the torrent with his scythe as it dissipated.

“End of the line, ‘heroes’.” Helsing leapt forward, his scythe coated in writhing shadows. He frenetically swung at the group, slashing through Kris and Susie and knocking Frisk to the ground. He concluded his attack by slamming his scythe into the ground, creating a blast of dark energy that nearly sent the rest tumbling to the ground as well.

After Asriel recovered, he rained down a barrage of blazing stars across the battlefield. Helsing hissed and recoiled in pain. Asriel followed up with a blast of lightning, which Helsing avoided by slinking into the dark.

Noelle helped Frisk get up. “That looked like a pretty bad hit. Are you alright?”

Frisk clutched at her side as she stood. “Oh, you know, just a cracked rib or two. It hurts like hell, but I’ll manage.”

Ralsei quickly healed his companions. “Guys, this is getting really dangerous. There’s something seriously wrong with that darkness he’s creating. We have to get out of here, now!”

Asriel was suddenly sent flying, landing at Susie’s feet. “Sounds like a good idea to me…”

“Yes, run away,” Helsing taunted. “Cower away at the first sign of a real threat. Very heroic.”

“There’s nothing cowardly about retreating!” Noelle refuted.

“That’s hilarious coming from the most fearful of your group.”

“What makes you think I’m fearful?” Noelle questioned, her voice shaking slightly.

Helsing laughed. “I’ve barely seen you do anything this fight. Every time I glance over at you, you’re hesitating. Actually, I can see your hands shaking right now.” He looked down on her with contempt.

“Yeah, that’s nice and all, but if you don’t mind, we’ll be making a tactical retreat now.” Kris turned to Susie. “Rip and tear…”

“…until it is done.” Susie’s eyes flashed menacingly as she brandished her halberd. In the blink of an eye, she smacked one of Helsing’s soldiers with the blunt end of her weapon and shoved him aside.

She began to carve a path through the crowd. Kris assisted her with a few pommel strikes of his own, while Asriel kept Helsing’s soldiers at bay with his lightning magic. Noelle had taken to simply bashing her adversaries with the butt of her crossbow. Ralsei defended them with magic barriers, with Frisk occasionally mustering up some fragile barriers of her own.

“Remember, strike to wound!” Kris kicked a swordsman back.

“Yeah, yeah, I got it.” Susie knocked another soldier out with a headbutt.

“Your insistence on mercy will be the death of you,” Helsing stated, drawing his scythe back.

“That’s what the Knight said, but look at us now,” Ralsei countered.

“Even you had to get your hands dirty. You’re in no place to act superior.”

“And just how many people have you killed?”

“Does it matter?” Black flames enveloped Helsing’s scythe. “Whether you’ve killed once, or killed a hundred times, you’re still a killer.”

“You are aware that killing a hundred people is way more serious than killing one, right?” Asriel scoffed.

Helsing went silent for a brief moment. “…Shut up.” He slashed across the ground, sending a wave of darkness at the group. Ralsei’s barrier quickly crumbled under the attack. Helsing dashed toward them, delivering an overhead strike that hit Kris in the back.

Kris cried out in pain and fell to the ground. He picked himself up, suppressing the urge to scream. He shifted his sword into a shield and took on a defensive stance as he retreated.

“Kris, are you alright?” Ralsei noticed his injury.

“He got me pretty good, but I think I’m fine for now,” Kris said.

Eventually, they cut their way through Helsing’s forces. They immediately took off running, with Helsing himself following closely behind them.

“Dude, do you ever let up?!” Susie shouted.

“Of course not,” Helsing said. “Did you think I got to where I am by letting up?”

“Just offering suggestions!”

Helsing rolled his eyes. He struck the ground and sent a surge of darkness at Kris. It cracked the ground as it traveled, and ripped right through Kris’ body before dissipating in a small blast. Kris collapsed, in too much pain to even scream.

“Kris!” Asriel pulled him up, and was relieved to see that he was still alive. “Ralsei, can you heal him?”

“Not enough time,” Kris said weakly. “We gotta get out of here.”

“Well, we can’t have you slowing us down.” Susie grabbed Kris and slung him over her shoulder. She gave Helsing a mocking wave. “See you next Tuesday, you edgy bastard!”

Helsing chased after them, but stopped when a surge of white-hot pain ravaged his hand. He sunk to his knees and began to nurse his hand. He watched as the Fun Gang disappeared beyond the tree line and let out a heavy sigh.

“Are you alright, Master Helsing?” one of his soldiers came to his side.

“I’m fine.” He slowly stood up and regained his composure. “Just a minor incident.”

The soldier lowered her weapon and glanced at the tree line. “The Delta Warriors got away… What are we gonna do?”

“Oh, let them run for now. We’ll hunt them where they cower. For now, take a minute to catch your breath. Afterwards, I want you to set up a tighter security patrol around the castle. When the Delta Warriors return, I want them to be met with an impenetrable iron wall.”

“We won’t let you down, sir.”

“Your team never does, Nerys.”


	8. Rally the Troops

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Fun Gang goes off to build up an army of their own.

_“Huddled at the mountain’s base, we had no choice but to beat our ploughshares into swords once more.”_

_-Hereafter description (Destiny)_

* * *

“There, I did my best.” Ralsei gave Kris a quick once-over and helped him stand up. “Do you think you’ll be okay? You got hurt pretty bad…”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” Kris said. “Really, I think I’m good as long as nothing reopens that old chest wound from Chara.”

“I hope you’re right.” Ralsei took Kris’ hand. “You need to be careful, Kris. Helsing’s going to prioritize you and Frisk over the rest of us. We can’t afford to lose either of you…” Ralsei’s grip on his hand tightened. “…and I can’t stand the thought of losing you.”

Kris placed his other hand over Ralsei’s. “Come on, he hit me from behind. I’m being as careful as I can.”

“I know, but you’ve come really close to dying so many times already. It doesn’t get any easier to deal with. I’m probably worrying too much, but it’s just because you mean so much to me. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

Kris gave Ralsei a kiss on the cheek. “I’m not gonna die. All those near-death experiences just made me harder to kill. Besides, I’ve got all of you on my side. We can’t lose!”

“Overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer,” Noelle reminded.

“It’s not overconfidence if it’s true.”

“Hey, we should get moving now,” Frisk said. “We’re not really that far away from the castle, and I feel like we’re about to have another kill squad after us pretty soon.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right. Let’s go.”

Kris considered his options as the six marched on. Rouxls was right; they needed an army if they were going to take Helsing down. The problem would lie in actually recruiting people to stand against him. Kris didn’t know anyone else in the dark world, and with Lancer’s forces being thoroughly crushed, he had very few options to work with.

“So, Kris, where are we going?” Susie’s voice shook him from his thoughts.

“I’m still trying to figure that out,” he replied. “I don’t exactly have a lot of contacts in the dark world.”

“We stopped at a few towns last time we were here,” Noelle said. “Wasn’t one of them built by ex-soldiers?”

“Right, the Town With No Name. You think we can convince them to take up arms again?”

“I’m sure they’d be willing to help us stop someone like Helsing. Besides, it can’t hurt to try, right?”

“I guess not. It’s as good a place to start as any, so that’s where we’re headed, then.”

“That’s the place where all the buildings were stone cubes, right?” Asriel asked.

“That’s the one. It’s also the site of Noelle’s ascension to fearlessness.”

Noelle laughed, “I wouldn’t say I’m fearless. I’m still pretty proud of that moment, though.”

“And you should be.” Susie gave her a pat on the head. “That’s the moment I realized I love you, you know.”

Noelle blushed slightly. “Really…?”

Susie nodded. “I respect a good clutch like that.”

“Thanks.” Noelle smiled.

The conversation died down. The group walked in silence for a while, with Frisk and Asriel taking in the sights around them. Frisk in particular seemed quite enamored with the scenery. Despite the circumstances and her own worries of being hunted down, she regarded the world around her with bright eyes and a cheerful smile. Kris admired her positivity.

He spoke up, “Hey, Frisk, if you don’t mind me asking, how’d you end up with monster parents? I feel like there’s a story there.”

“There is, but it’s a little convoluted,” she replied.

“Is it a dark and troubled one filled with tragedy?” Susie joked. “I hope not, ‘cause then we can have an even split of happy and sad childhoods.”

Frisk chuckled. “It wasn’t really tragic, just… kinda troubled. I don’t mind sharing a little, if you’re interested.”

“Please do, Kris said. “It’ll make this walk a little less boring.”

“Okay, then.” She thought about where to start for a moment. “Let’s start at the very beginning. You know how I was born in Czechia?”

Kris nodded.

“Well, my parents moved to America pretty soon after I was born so they could start their own business. It, uh… didn’t go well.”

“What happened?” Ralsei asked.

“It turns out that moving to a new continent is expensive as hell, and starting a business takes a lot of money, so we were borderline broke the whole time I was with them. My parents really had to struggle to make ends meet.”

She lowered her head and took a deep breath before continuing. “Eventually, it got so bad that they didn’t feel like they could raise me properly, so they put me up for adoption.”

“Damn…” Kris put a hand on her shoulder. “That sounds horrible.”

“I felt horrible when it happened. I was six years old when they gave me up, and I didn’t really understand why they were doing it, so I was miserable.” She smiled sadly. “I’m not upset with them, though. They really loved me, but they wanted me to have a better life.”

“What happened after that?”

“It took a couple years, but I ended up with my monster parents, and life’s been pretty good ever since. I actually got into contact with my human parents recently. They’re doing well, and they’re happy I’m doing well, so it was a happy ending for everyone.”

“And you’re alright with telling us all that just because we asked?” Susie cocked her head to the side. “I don’t get you.”

“Well, it wasn’t exactly traumatic for me. It messed me up a little, but I’m working through that. Besides, I don’t think I can complain too much, considering how everything turned out.”

“Eh, I guess you’re right. It’s just kinda weird to me to see someone so willing to share their backstory.”

“Hm.”

“So, Frisk, how do you stay so positive?” Kris spoke. “Every time I look at you, you’ve got a smile on your face.”

As if on cue, Frisk smiled. “It took me a while to get to that point, since I felt so miserable when my parents gave me up. Eventually, I got to thinking about how well everything ended up for me, all things considered. My mindset is basically, if my life got so much better, there’s always hope for getting out of a bad situation.”

Kris nodded. “I wish I had that kind of optimism.”

“It definitely didn’t come easily.” Her voice took on a humorously dramatic tone. “I was forged in the fires of a modestly saddening event and emerged with a more positive outlook on life. I’m hardcore!”

Asriel chuckled and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “You certainly are, Frisk. I’m glad that didn’t ruin you.”

Frisk responded with a kiss on the lips, and the conversation ended there. The group carried on in silence for a few minutes. They stopped when they reached the massive fissure that marred the landscape.

“Oh yeah, this thing,” Kris acknowledged it. “I never thought Chara could do something like this, but she was full of surprises. None of them were pleasant.”

“At least there’s a bridge over it now,” Ralsei pointed out. “We won’t have to go through Snowfall again.”

“Hallelujah,” Susie rejoiced.

“I was looking forward to Snowfall…” Noelle pouted.

“We’ll head there some other time. Right now, there’s a job that needs doing, and we’re the ones who do.”

After crossing the bridge, Kris spoke up, “Hey, that whole conversation was kinda dreary. Let’s talk about something a little more lighthearted. Frisk, where do you stand on the whole ‘is a hot dog a sandwich’ debate?”

Asriel rolled his eyes. “Ah hell…”

“Hot dogs are not sandwiches,” Frisk stated. “This is a fact.”

“Yes! Welcome to the right side of history, Frisk!” Kris gave her a high five.

Susie laughed. “You’re kidding, right? It’s a piece of meat between two pieces of bread. That’s a sandwich.”

“Susie, you really don’t want to get into a debate like this with Frisk,” Asriel said.

Frisk raised a finger to shush him. “The structure of a hot dog doesn’t resemble the structure of a sandwich at all. The bun’s more of a cup than anything. What’s next, you’re gonna tell me that cereal is a soup or something?”

Susie grinned. “Yeah, about that…”

Frisk blinked. “Oh, we’re gonna have words…”

“And here she goes.” Asriel lowered his head.

* * *

Later…

After a pleasantly short walk, the Town With No Name was clearly in view. To the group’s relief, the place was free of Helsing’s forces. It seemed that their only source of strife would be the still ongoing debate between Frisk and Susie.

“Okay, I get it, you’re a total food anarchist,” Frisk said. “But come on, even you have to admit that what you’re saying is obscene.”

“Hard disagree,” Susie refuted. “Meal prep like that has saved me tons of time.”

“You’re talking about _peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!_ They take all of 10 seconds to make and they don’t refrigerate well!”

“Come on, you’re getting way too worked up over this. It’s convenient for me, and that’s why I do it.”

Frisk rubbed her temples, nearly at her wit’s end. “You’re not saving yourself a meaningful amount of time, and you’re willingly eating worse sandwiches. Just make your sandwiches on the same day you eat them, you crazy woman.”

“Alright, alright, let’s put an end to this argument,” Kris interjected. “Frisk’s right, case closed. We’ve got some negotiating to do.”

Susie rolled her eyes. “Okay, but I’m not happy about it.”

The group approached the Town. It hadn’t changed at all since their last visit; the buildings were still almost featureless, the inhabitants still wore mostly identical robes, and it still had a mildly unsettling air about it.

“Welcome back, wayward travelers,” a familiar fellow in a gray robe greeted them. “It has been quite some time since last we met.”

“Nice to see you,” Kris returned the greeting. “How have things been for you since our last visit?”

“Quite unremarkable. The damages have been repaired and life continues as normal.”

“That’s good to hear, but I think we’re gonna have to mess that up again.”

The strange fellow raised an eyebrow. “In what way, if I may inquire?”

“Well, basically—”

“We need an army and you’re the first people we thought of,” Susie stated plainly.

“…Yeah, that.”

The strange fellow glanced at each member of the Fun Gang individually. “Forgive me, but for what purpose would you need an army? After all you have endured, what could threaten you to such a degree?”

“A tyrant called Helsing recently overthrew King Lancer and took the throne for himself,” Kris explained. “His army massacred everyone loyal to Lancer. Now, he’s trying to create dark fountains so he can dominate the light world.”

“He’s too strong for us to stop him on our own,” Ralsei added. “He’s got too many soldiers at his disposal for us to get to him. We need help.”

Kris noticed that a small crowd had gathered around them.

The strange fellow lowered his head. “I am terribly sorry, but we have long since laid down our arms. Indeed, we once fought for the Chaos King, but many of us were far too disturbed by his warmongering to bear the thought of remaining as soldiers.”

Kris nodded. “I understand your position, and I’m sympathetic, but you wouldn’t be fighting for someone like that, you’d be fighting _against_ them.”

Asriel entered the conversation. “Helsing’s a threat to the dark world just as much as he is to the light world. We ran into him once, and I can already tell he’ll rule this place with an iron fist if he gets his way.”

The people in the crowd began to murmur to each other. Many of them seemed to agree with Asriel.

Noelle looked at the strange fellow with pleading eyes. “We need your help. We’ll never be able to stop him without you.”

The strange fellow sighed. “I will leave this decision to the rest of the townspeople.” He turned to the crowd. “Fellow citizens, shall we take up arms once more, so that we may vanquish this false monarch?”

The crowd replied with a chorus of agreement. Some were more reluctant than others, but they all seemed to recognize the danger that Helsing posed. A few even ran off to collect weapons.

The strange fellow looked back at the Fun Gang, lowering his hood. “Very well. We will join your cause, honorable warriors. We are at your disposal.”

“That’s great to hear,” Kris smiled. “We really appreciate it.”

The strange fellow nodded. “So, what are our orders? When will we march to battle?”

“I think we’re a good way’s off from that. We’re gonna head out and see if we can get anymore manpower. Something tells me we’re gonna need all the help we can get. For now, we’ll use this place as a rally point. We’ll all meet up here when the time comes.”

“That seems like a wise decision. We shall stay and prepare. Best of luck on your travels, honorable warriors.”

“Thanks.” Kris turned to walk away. “Alright, boys, let’s head out.”

“It’s getting pretty late, though,” Frisk said. “Don’t you think we should rest up before we go?”

Kris looked up to see that the sun was setting, painting the sky a warm orange color. “Yeah, you’re right.” He glanced at the strange fellow. “Any chance you have an inn or something here?”

Susie tapped him on the shoulder. “I think it might be the building with the huge sign that says ‘inn’.”

Kris blinked. “That would appear to be correct…”


	9. Behind Enemy Lines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rouxls makes a troubling observation about Helsing and heads off to warn the Fun Gang.

_“Fan the flames! Mold the metal! We are raising an army!”_

_-The Ancestor (Darkest Dungeon)_

* * *

Helsing sat with his face buried in his hands. After all this time, he still had made very little progress toward his grand scheme. Despite the fact that every fountain he attempted to create was slightly more stable than the last, he wasn’t progressing nearly as fast as he hoped.

‘ _And I’m on borrowed time as long as the Delta Warriors are out there,_ ’ he said to himself. ‘ _I can’t afford to slow down at all._ ’

He sighed heavily. Every failure brought him genuine frustration and rage. After his last attempt, he allowed himself to slip into an anger-induced rant about nothing in particular, and furiously lashed out at whatever happened to be nearby. After he regained his composure, he saw that several of his soldiers looked either afraid of him or worried about him.

‘ _Fools, all of them._ ’ If they had any understanding of his task, they would see that his frustrations were quite justifiable. He was a Shadowborn, damnit! How could he possibly have so much difficulty manipulating the dark? He was well within his rights to lose his cool every once in a while.

So what if he punched a tree until it toppled? So what if he made a fool of himself cursing his misfortune for several minutes straight? Given the circumstances, it should’ve been surprising that he didn’t go further than that. He had the right to get upset. He had the right!

…Didn’t he?

“Master Helsing,” Alric’s voice shook him from his thoughts. Rouxls Kaard stood beside him.

“Alric.” Helsing slunk over to the window. “Anything significant to report?”

Alric produced a sheet of notes. “Currently, our precautionary measures against the dark fallout are proving to be effective. Simply maintaining a safe distance keeps us safe from corruption, and the fallout itself doesn’t appear to spread to any degree.”

“That’s good. We wouldn’t want another incident, would we. Speaking of which, has anything happened with the first batch of corrupted soldiers?”

“They appear to be feeding off the fallout and gaining strength. They still refuse to leave the area, but we’re monitoring them closely.”

Helsing nodded. “Anything else I need to know about?”

“We haven’t been able to locate the Delta Warriors since their retreat. Rouxls here is going to be leading a search team to hunt them down shortly.” Alric paused. “And finally, we’ve come to a consensus on what to call those that have been lost to corruption: the blighted.”

“Hm. Do we have any solid guesses on the Delta Warriors’ location?”

“Not at the moment; all we know is that they ran off to the east.”

“However,” Rouxls spoke up, “I do believeth that I might knoweth their current whereabouts. I wouldst be the superior choice to leadeth a team to find them.”

Helsing sneered and stepped toward Rouxls. “For your sake, I hope you plan to give me _correct_ information this time. I don’t particularly appreciate failures, if you haven’t noticed.”

It took great effort for Rouxls to hide his shock. “W-whatever dost thou mean?”

“You know damn well what I mean. Earlier, you told me the Delta Warriors were traveling to Backwater. Not even two hours later, they show up right outside the castle.” Helsing leaned closer, glaring into his eyes. “Do you have anything to say for yourself, Rouxls?”

“Um, well… sire, I madeth a simple mistake, and, well… thou knoweth mistakes happen—”

Helsing grabbed him by the collar. “We don’t have room for errors on that level. If you did make a mistake, then you’re a failure and a disappointment because you’re supposed to know the Delta Warriors better than any of us. If you’re actively feeding me misinformation, well…” He brought his scythe below Rouxls’ chin.

It was at this point that Rouxls noticed the dark streaks under Helsing’s eyes. They perpetually flowed forth like tears of pure darkness – it was hauntingly similar to the fallout left behind by the failed dark fountains.

Rouxls spoke, “I… I can assureth thou, sire, that I wouldst never even considere feeding thou false information. ‘Twas an honest mistake, nothing more.”

Helsing growled lowly as he withdrew his scythe. “Fine, go. Find the Delta Warriors and kill them. Take no prisoners. If nobody else, the humans must be killed at all costs. _Don’t disappoint me again._ ”

Rouxls bowed. “I shalt not fail you again, Hellstrike!”

“ _Helsing._ ”

“Yes, of course. I shalt formeth a team immediately.” With that, Rouxls left the room.

Helsing let out a heavy sigh. “Alric, I suggest you start an investigation of your own. I’m not so sure we can trust Rouxls Kaard…”

Alric nodded. “You think he’s working as a double agent, helping the Delta Warriors?”

“It’s definitely possible, given his past with them. Although, I can’t help but think he’s too stupid for something like that, but better safe than sorry.”

“Of course. I’ll get to work right away.” Alric jumped in surprise when he finally noticed the tears of darkness beneath Helsing’s eyes. “Master Helsing, what’s wrong with your face?”

“Excuse me?”

“There’s something under your eyes. What is that?”

Helsing touched the substance under his eyes. His fingertips tingled as soon as they made contact, and the tendrils that wrapped his arm thrummed in reaction. The substance stuck to his fingers as he pulled his hand back.

“…Fascinating,” he said.

“’Fascinating’? You’re not worried about that at all?” Alric was visibly confused.

“Why would I be? I’m carrying the might of the dark fountain. It wouldn’t be right to reject its gifts.”

“Yes, I understand, but are you sure that’s a gift and not a symptom of something terrible?”

“What are you getting at, Alric?” Helsing said impatiently.

Alric nervously rubbed his hands together. “Master Helsing, I think your attempts to create dark fountains is affecting your mental state. I’ve never seen you place such blind faith in the dark fountain, and… Well, you seem much more irritable and hostile lately.”

Helsing sneered derisively. “You think it’s driving me mad.”

“I didn’t mean it like that. All I’m trying to say is that I’m worried that it could make you mentally unstable.”

The tendrils on Helsing’s arm twitched. “Alric, I appreciate your concern, but I can assure you that I’m quite sane. Trust me, if I did go mad, you’d know right away.”

“Yes, I suppose so. But, as your advisor, I suggest you take more precautionary measures against any possible corruption.”

“I will, I will. You worry too much.”

From outside the room, Rouxls listened in on their conversation. He shook his head in disappointment; if Helsing’s sanity was already a concern, things could very quickly go from bad to worse.

“What’s the word on the boss?” one of Helsing’s soldiers asked.

Rouxls noted the blue sigil painted on the soldier’s chestplate and relaxed his stance slightly. “The failed dark fountains seemeth to be driving Helsing mad. His advisor is quite concerned already.”

“And he was already a lunatic before. Fantastic.”

“I believeth we must delivere a message to the heroes. They must be informedeth of the situation. Were you able to convince any others to joineth our cause?”

“Just one, but I’m starting to notice some dissent in the ranks. People are starting to lose faith in Helsing, so we can use that to our advantage.”

“Excellent. Gathere the team and prepareth to set off. We must reacheth the heroes before Alric’s team does.”

The soldier gave a quick salute and walked off. Rouxls followed behind him, lost in his own thoughts. If Helsing were indeed descending into madness, would that be a good thing? On one hand, his decaying mental state could throw his plans into chaos and set him back. On the other, he could start obsessively creating more dark fountains, and eventually find success.

‘ _Just let it be the former,_ ’ Rouxls silently pleaded.

* * *

Later…

“No, see, the sandworm isn’t anybody, it’s just a sandworm,” Kris explained. “That’s the joke.”

“I still don’t really get it,” Frisk said.

“It’s poking fun at people that make these convoluted theories out of the tiniest things, like finding a random coin in a swamp and trying to connect it to the old gods or something like that.”

“C’mon, no one unironically does that,” Asriel refuted.

“Yeah, I know, but exaggerating makes it funnier. That’s why people started making the sandworm jokes.”

The group had been walking for several hours and were well on their way to the city of Downpour. Their trek though the vast desert had been arduous, but mercifully quick thanks to the lack of extenuating circumstances.

“So, Kris,” Susie said, “you really think those crazy bastards at Downpour are gonna help us?”

Kris shrugged. “I mean, we killed the hive mind and broke them out of years of mind control. I think it’s reasonable to call in a favor.”

“But we’d be asking them to go to war,” Noelle said. “Are you sure they’d be willing to put their lives at risk like that?”

“We put our lives at risk fighting the hive mind, and they’d be fighting for the fate of both worlds. Trust me, they’ll join us.”

“Hopefully…”

The group carried on in silence. They were appreciative of every second of downtime they had. It wasn’t very often that they weren’t locked in a life-or-death skirmish with some kind of once-in-a-lifetime threat. Kris couldn’t tell if that was humorous or sad.

Frisk looked back gasped in surprise. There was a small formation of Helsing’s soldiers marching in their direction, and they were steadily gaining on them. How did they catch up with them so fast?

“Guys, we’ve got company,” she said.

Kris turned around and reached for his sword. “Ah, hell. Looks like we’re gonna have to throw down right here.”

“Wait a minute, is that Rouxls Kaard?” Ralsei pointed out. “It looks like he’s leading them.”

“Yeah, that’s not good. Time to kick some ass.” Susie brandished her halberd.

The group took a defensive stance and waited for the soldiers to approach. Sure enough, Rouxls was at the head of the group.

“Well met, heroes!” he waved at them. “It is I, your double agent, Rouxls Kaard.”

“Rouxls, you know there’s a band of Helsing’s dudes behind you, right?” Kris questioned.

“Actually, these art mine comrades,” Rouxls grinned. “I hath exploited the growing unrest in Helsing’s ranks to rallyeth some of his own men to our heroic cause.”

“Wait, really? How’d you manage that?”

“Through very careful discourse. I preyedeth on whoever seemed to be losing faith in the vile fiend that hath usurped the throne.”

“You’d be surprised how much that’s happening,” one of the soldiers said. “Helsing’s a goddamn maniac.”

Susie lowered her weapon a little. “So you’re telling me we’re all friends here? You’re not trying to bamboozle us?”

“I assureth you, they wish to see Helsing deposed as much as the reste of us.” Rouxls pointed to the blue sigil on one of the soldiers’ chestplate. “You can identifyeth them by this symbol. Helsing hast yet to catch on.”

“Alright, but you better be sure about this.” Susie sheathed her halberd.

“Now, what’s this about growing unrest?” Asriel asked.

“It wouldst appear that Helsing’s failed attempts to createth a dark fountain art taking a toll on his mental stability,” Rouxls explained. “I believeth prolonged exposure to the false darkness is causing him to descendeth into madness.”

“I thought he was already out of his mind,” Susie remarked.

“’Tis possible, but this is on an entirely different levele. He hath been uncharacteristically aggressive and unhinged. He is very obsessive over his schemes, as well.”

“Well, if he’s coming unhinged, shouldn’t that mean he’ll start messing up more and more?” Asriel asked.

“Not necessarily,” Ralsei said. “If he’s getting obsessive, that probably means he’s trying even harder to make dark fountains… and that means he’s more likely to succeed eventually.”

“Precisely,” Rouxls said. “His decaying sanity couldst be a boon for thou, but it is equally likely to be a foul portent. I suggesteth you work quickly. We shalt delay him as long as we can manageth.”

“Believe me, we won’t waste any time,” Kris said. “Thanks for the heads up.”

“’Twas my pleasure, heroes. I will not keepeth you any longer.”

Kris nodded. “Alright, let’s pick up the pace. Onward!”

The two groups went their separate ways, toward the same goal.


	10. Clear Skies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Fun Gang rallies more troops to their cause from the city of Downpour.

_“Women and men, soldiers and outlaws, fools and corpses. All will find their way to us now that the road is clear.”_

_-The Ancestor (Darkest Dungeon)_

* * *

“Welcome back to madness town, boys!” Kris announced. “It’s been a while since we’ve been here.”

“And it looks like nothing’s changed at all,” Susie noted. Like their previous visit, the skies of the Seventh Region were completely shadowed, with dark storm clouds blocking out much of the sunlight. That, combined with the endless rainfall, make for a gloomy atmosphere.

“Things have to be better closer to the city,” Noelle said.

“Plus, there aren’t even any creepy flowers or vines here,” Kris added. “That’s an improvement.”

“Doesn’t make me hate the rain any less,” Susie said.

The group carried on, taking in the sights around them. The dilapidated structures that previously littered the landscape were significantly fewer in number, with most of them either having crumbled to nothing or actively being restored to their former glory.

The signs of the hive mind’s presence were completely gone. If one didn’t know any better, they would never know that it was there at all. Perhaps for the first time in over a decade, wholesome plant life was able to flourish here.

After a few minutes, the group arrived at the city of Downpour and was greeted by a familiar figure. The unsettlingly humanlike woman stood at the city’s entryway, still wearing that same long, flowing red dress. She had a smile on her face, though it was underlined with visible regret.

“Welcome back to Downpour, visitors,” she said calmly. “It’s a pleasure to see you again. What brings you back to our little city?”

“We’re here on important business,” Frisk said. “It’s something that concerns your entire city… and the entire dark world, actually.”

The woman was surprised. “The entire dark world? I’m sorry, but I don’t think we’d be much help for something so significant. I think the king would offer more assistance.”

Susie shifted uncomfortably. “Yeah, about that…”

“The king’s been overthrown in a coup,” Kris explained. “Some guy called Helsing took the throne, and he’s trying to create more dark fountains so he can go to war against the light world.”

The woman lowered her head. “Helsing? I never thought the crazy bastard would do something like that…”

“You know him?”

“He was in the public eye for a while, quite some time before now. He was part of some old cult that called themselves the Shadowborn. They caused a bit of trouble here and there, then they disappeared. I guess they still have some leadership around…”

“And this guy’s got a little too much ambition for his own good. He’s got a whole damn army that makes it impossible to get to him. We’re going around trying to build up an army of our own so we can take him on.”

“If you have anyone that’d be willing to join us, we’d really appreciate it,” Ralsei said.

The woman thought for a minute before answering, “I’d be surprised if there wasn’t anyone who’d join you.” She gestured for the group to follow her as she entered the city proper. “It may take some time to gather troops, but I think we can lend a hand.”

“We’ll take anyone you’ve got,” Kris said. “Every little bit helps.”

“Hold on, how are you going to gear up to go to war?” Asriel asked.

The woman’s face fell a little. “We’ve been clearing the maintenance tunnels of old equipment from fallen soldiers. I suppose we could reuse it.”

“Why wouldn’t you?” Susie questioned. “It’s not like they’re gonna be needing it anymore.”

“I know, but it feels a little… wrong to use equipment that belonged to people we killed ourselves.”

Kris shook his head. “To be fair, it wasn’t really you that killed them, it was the hive mind using you as puppets. Besides, it seems kinda poetic to use their gear to protect the dark world, don’t you think?”

The woman’s expression brightened slightly. “Yes, perhaps. I’ll make arrangements to gather recruits for you. It’s the least we can do after what you’ve done for us.”

“Thank you. With your help, we just might be able to take Helsing down.”

The woman smiled and turned to leave. She stopped and turned back. “We greatly appreciate your assistance with the hive mind, and we’re sorry for any trouble we may have caused you.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Kris returned her smile. “We’re always happy to help.”

“Maybe you are…” Susie muttered under her breath. Kris lightly elbowed her in the side, eliciting a derisive sneer.

“We’ll just hang around while you gather recruits,” Kris said. “We’ll be by the fountain.”

“Very well,” the woman nodded. “Feel free to drink from the fountain, now that the waters are pure.”

* * *

Meanwhile…

Rouxls walked alone through the Watching Cliffs. Having searched high and low for Lancer, he determined that this must be where he was hiding. Despite his annoyance with the landscape, he praised it as a hiding spot; no one in their right mind would want to comb through this horribly monotonous place.

That being said, of course, he still hated this place.

‘ _Egads, I shouldst have asked the heroes where Lancer art hiding…_ ’

Helsing’s troops maintained a presence in the area. The odds of anymore lightners entering the dark world seemed infinitesimally low, but Helsing liked to be prepared for almost every possibly contingency.

However, the troops’ population was still scarce – there couldn’t have been any more than four small teams scattered about. Rouxls found this to be a relief.

After a long and tedious walk, he came to a small, secluded location at the base of the area’s largest cliff. If Lancer were hidden anywhere in the Watching Cliffs, he would be here.

He crept through the area, peeking behind every rock formation and inspecting every deep hole. He was careful to remain as quiet as possible. Any unwanted attention could be disastrous.

“Lesser Dad?” a familiar voice came from behind a large boulder.

“Lancer?” A smile spread across Rouxls’ face when he saw him. “’Tis wonderful to see you!”

“You’re not dead!” Lancer jumped up to hug Rouxls.

“Of course not! An intellectual such as mineself wouldst never be vanquished by the likes of that foul usurper, Helsing. What about you? Art thou alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m really bored, though.”

“I haveth no doubt, but thou must remaineth here for thine own safety. The dark world needeth its rightful monarch, after all.”

“Yeah…”

Rouxls knelt down to Lancer’s height. “Lancer, art thou alright?”

“I guess so. I don’t like everything that’s happening. I miss the castle, and I feel bad that I can’t do anything to stop this guy.”

Rouxls placed a consoling hand on his shoulder. “I understand. But thou did the righte thing. We wouldst be doomed if you had not informedeth the heroes of our plight.”

“Speaking of which, how are those guys doing?”

“They art well on their way to deposing the false monarch. They art currently rallying an army to challengeth Helsing’s wretched army.”

“You think they’ll be able to do it?”

“Doubtlessly. If there is anyone capable of such a daunting taske, t’would be them. There is nothing to fear.”

“I hope so. I really like those guys.”

Rouxls frowned. “Lancer, I hath never seen thou this upset. Dost thou wish to talketh?”

Lancer lowered his head. “Honestly, I’m kinda afraid of that Helsing guy. He killed everyone at the castle. I don’t even know if Dad’s still alive…”

Rouxls’ expression turned grim. “I am afraid that… Helsing hast killedeth your father. If that means anything to you, you hath mine condolences.”

Lancer was silent for a moment. “No, it’s fine. I’m not really upset about that. He wasn’t really a good dad, was he?”

“No, not by any definition. My apologies for speaking ill of thine late father.”

“Don’t worry about it. Once the Fun Gang showed up, I didn’t really like him very much anymore.”

“No one will faulteth you for that.” Rouxls reached into his pocket and pulled out a small tin can. “On anothere subject, I brought worms.”

“Ooh, thanks!” Lancer perked up right away.

Rouxls smiled. “Everything shalt be alright. The heroes will depose Helsing are restoreth you to power, and life will continueth as normal.”

“Hopefully,” Lancer spoke through a mouthful of worms.

Rouxls chuckled and stood. “I am afraid I must returneth to the castle. I am working to undermineth Helsing’s efforts to aid the heroes. Continue to hide here, and stayeth safe.”

“I’ll be fine. Be careful, Dad.”

Rouxls stopped in his tracks. “Lancer, thou did not refereth to me as Lesser Dad. Did thou misspeak?”

“Um… no. You’re way nicer than my old dad, and I need a new one anyway. You don’t mind if I call you Dad, do you?”

“No, of— of course not.” Rouxls fought back the tears of joy welling in his eyes. He knelt down and pulled Lancer into a hug. “I would be very pleased to calleth you my son.”

Lancer returned the embrace. “Thanks, Dad.”

“Thou art most welcome.” After a moment, Rouxls pulled away and stood. “Stay safe.”

“I will. Good luck.”

Rouxls gave a smile and a nod as he left.

* * *

“Okay, this is everyone I could find that’s willing to join you,” the woman said to Kris, gesturing to the crowd behind her. “Most of them are city guards, but some of them have no combat training.”

“Well, that won’t be a problem, ‘cause neither do any of us,” Kris said. “How many is that, thirty?”

“Forty, actually. I know it’s not much, but it’s the best we can do.”

“That’s still pretty huge,” Asriel said. “We might actually have a chance to maybe take Helsing on now. What do you think, Kris?”

“I don’t think we’ll get immediately steamrolled, at least.” Kris shrugged. “That’s an improvement.”

The woman gave a friendly smile. “Well, everyone’s at your disposal. I wish you the best of luck.”

“Thanks for your help,” Kris returned her smile. He turned to his new allies. “So, you’re all willing to join up and go after Helsing?”

“Hell yeah, we are!” one of the city guards pounded his chest.

“That’s great to hear. You all know how dangerous this is, though, right? This guy doesn’t mess around. Some of you might die out there.”

“Then let it be a glorious death!” another guard raised her spear overhead. “I’ll take him down with me!”

Susie cracked a grin. “I like her.”

Kris nodded in agreement and continued, “Well, if you’re all ready and willing, let’s head out. We’re gathering at the Town With No Name, basically straight west from here. Let’s go, boys!”

The crowd responded with a spirited battle cry and fell in line behind the Fun Gang.

“March, friends!” Kris pointed westward and set off, with everyone else following behind him.

Off in the distance, Alric watched them from the shadows. He was accompanied by a small group of Helsing’s soldiers, each one holding a weapon at the ready.

“Perfect,” he said to himself, writing in a notebook. “We know exactly where they’re gathering.”

“Don’t you think we should take them out right now?” a swordsman asked. “If we wait for them all to group up, it’ll be a lot harder to deal with the Delta Warriors. I say we blindside ‘em right here.”

“Hmm… you have a good point. Though, I think it would be unwise to engage them right now. We need to find a way to separate them from the rest of the group. We should inform Master Helsing.”

“You think he’ll get here fast enough?”

“He moves through the shadows like quicksilver. Besides, we’re just a scouting team. I don’t think we can take them on ourselves.”

The swordsman shrugged. “Alright, you’re the boss. Lead the way.”


	11. Hell to Pay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Helsing catches up with the heroes.

_“You leave me alive, I’m gonna eat you alive.”_

_-Northernlion_

* * *

“Master Helsing, I have important news for you,” Alric announced his presence in the throne room.

“What is it, Alric?” Helsing shot a glare at his current messenger, Rouxls Kaard, and turned away from him. “Something related to the Delta Warriors, I hope?”

“Yes, actually! My scouting team and I have located them just outside of Downpour, in the Seventh Region. They’re currently en route to the Town With No Name, along with a band of forty or so armed individuals.”

“Really? How interesting.” Helsing stared right through Rouxls. “And here you were, telling me there was no sign of them around there.”

Rouxls’ face went pale. “I… do not know what to telleth you, Helltown. Perhaps they were in hiding, tryingst to evadeth our surveillance?”

Helsing seethed, lashing out and grabbing Rouxls by the throat. “ _Helsing!_ For the last fucking time, my name is _Helsing!_ Get that through your thick skull or I’ll hang you from the roof of this castle!”

“Understood, Helsing,” Rouxls struggled to speak.

Helsing’s grip tightened. “Stop. Talking. Don’t say a word unless I tell you. Understand?”

Rouxls gave a thumbs up.

“Good.” Helsing released his grip, shoving Rouxls to the floor. “Now, I don’t think I need to tell you how frustrated I am with you, even considering your staggeringly poor intellect, but let me emphasize it just to be sure. You are literally the least competent, most disappointing person I’ve ever had the misfortune to work with.”

Helsing stepped back and took a deep breath before continuing. “Considering your truly atrocious track record, I’m reassigning you. You won’t be leading anymore teams, you won’t be gathering information, and you won’t be handling anything of actual significance.”

Shock flashed across Rouxls’ face. “But Helsing—”

“I told you to stop talking!” Helsing hit him in the face with a right hook. “Don’t push me, because I have no more patience for you. Now, as I was saying, you’re going back on puzzle duty. I don’t want to hear any complaints; you’re lucky I didn’t just kill you here.”

He pointed his scythe at the door. “Now get out of my sight.”

Rouxls dejectedly slunk away without another word.

“Master Helsing, if I may continue…” Alric spoke quietly.

“Yes, of course.” Helsing sheathed his weapon. “You said the Delta Warriors are heading toward the Town With No Name. What do you suggest I do with that information? By the time I mobilize troops, they’ll probably have a small army ready to greet us. Hell, they might be set up already.”

“Perhaps not. My team and I know our way around the dark world far better than the Delta Warriors, which allows us to keep pace with them. By my estimations, it’s likely they’re still only halfway there. And considering your ability to slip through the shadows…”

“You’re suggesting I take them and their band of forty on my own. Alric, I’m trying to minimize risk, not seek it out.”

“I understand, but perhaps you could separate them from their group, and create a dark fountain between them. Worst case scenario, you keep them separate and give yourself an easier battle with your greatest threats. Best case scenario, you also create a working fountain and kill two birds with one stone.”

“I prefer ‘get two birds stoned at once’, but I see your point. That could work nicely.”

Helsing drew his scythe and set off. “You never disappoint me, Alric. Unlike certain people…”

Rouxls watched in dismay as Helsing left. He let out a sigh and walked away with his head hung low. He stopped when he bumped into a soldier bearing the mark of his rebellion.

“Boss took you off of scouting duty, huh?” she observed.

“Indeed. T’will make matters much more difficulte. Without misinformation, I suspecteth that Helsing will advanceth his schemes at an alarming pace.”

“Doesn’t mean that’s the end of things, though. We just need to rake in some more defectors and gear up to gank that crazy bastard.”

Rouxls nodded. “I can only hope that the heroes willst be able to holdeth their own against Helsing’s coming assault.”

The soldier gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “Hey, if anything you told me about them is true, they’ll be totally fine.”

“With any luck…”

* * *

Later…

“Goddamn, am I glad to be out of the desert,” Kris said. “Please, don’t make me walk through that place ever again.”

“Hear, hear,” Frisk shook a comical amount of sand off of her clothes. “How the hell did it get in my sleeves…?”

“Well, it’s coarse, rough, irritating—”

“Stop,” Susie shushed him.

Night had fallen by the time the Fun Gang and their new recruits had exited the desert. The moon overhead shone with an oddly eerie light, creating a slightly unnerving atmosphere. All was quiet, save for the group’s inexorable march.

“Dude, I’m exhausted,” Susie said. “How much longer?”

“Probably another two or three hours,” Ralsei guessed. “It might not be a bad idea to make camp for the night.”

“Sounds good to me,” Asriel said.

“Wait, really?” one of the soldiers was surprised. “C’mon, we can keep going for a few more hours.”

“Maybe you can,” Susie refuted. “I feel like I’m about to fall on my face.”

“Yeah, I don’t think I have a whole lot left in me either,” Kris agreed. “If you guys are up to it, go on ahead. The Town’s pretty much straight ahead. We’ll just meet you there.”

“Are you sure it’s a good idea to split up like that?” another soldier questioned. “Aren’t you guys public enemy number one to Helsing?”

“Hey, we’re in the middle of nowhere. What could go wrong?” Kris shrugged. “He said, shortly before everything went wrong.”

“We can handle ourselves for one night,” Asriel said.

“Well, if you’re sure, we’ll go on ahead,” the soldier said hesitantly. “Just don’t get yourselves killed out here.”

With that, the soldiers marched off, leaving the Fun Gang alone with each other.

Helsing slunk through the shadows, chuckling to himself as the two groups separated. A sadistic grin flashed across his face as he readied his scythe.

“Almost too easy,” he said under his breath. He darted through the tree line, dragging his scythe along the ground as he encircled them.

A shadow caught Frisk’s eye. “Hey, did anyone else see that?”

The shadow flew past Asriel’s face. “You mean that?”

“Yeah. Doesn’t that shadow look familiar…?”

In the blink of an eye, the world around them was engulfed in a wall of black flames. The group immediately readied their weapons and took on a defensive posture.

“Well, if it isn’t the big bad himself,” Susie drawled. “Come on out so we can kick your ass.”

“As you wish.” Helsing materialized behind her and slashed her across the back. He jumped back and followed up by sending a wave of darkness across the ground, sweeping her off her feet.

“You didn’t really think you could hide from me, did you?” He faded back into the shadows. “I have eyes all over. It’s not hard to find the only lightners in this world.”

“Then why did it take you several days to track us down?” Kris spun in every direction with his sword raised.

“Believe me, you only live because I allow it.” Helsing hooked his scythe through Kris’ shoulder, pulled him close, and buried his blade in his chest. “And you will die because I demand it.”

He flinched with a crossbow bolt struck him in the back, quickly followed by an electrical barrage from Asriel. He whirled around and slid toward his attackers, wildly swinging his weapon in their direction.

Ralsei rushed toward Kris, but was thrown back by a torrent of darkness that flew across the ground. He returned fire and continued his advance. Frisk attempted to support him with a magic barrier. It rapidly crumbled underneath Helsing’s assault.

Susie locked blades with Helsing. He dissolved into the shadows and allowed her own momentum to knock her down. He reformed behind her with his weapon raised, but was sent stumbling back when another crossbow bolt hit him in the chest.

Ralsei helped Kris stand up, casting a healing spell on him. “Kris, you’re bleeding pretty bad. Are you okay?”

“I don’t know…” Kris clutched at the wound in his chest. “Feels an awful lot like the chest wound from Chara.” He leaned heavily on his sword for support. “I think I’ll be fine.”

“Kris, stop. Just sit this one out. We can handle this.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

Ralsei sat him down and cast another healing spell. “Please, just stay down. I don’t want to lose you.”

Kris sighed. “Fine.”

“Oh, I’ve already taken one of you out of commission?” Helsing laughed. “That was fast.”

Susie cleaved at his face with her halberd. “That was a lucky shot. Try doing that five more times in a row!”

Helsing parried another attack from her and jabbed her in the face with the snath of his scythe. “Even if luck was a factor, it still takes skill to land an attack like that.”

She slashed at him. “Doing the ‘nothing personnel’ trick doesn’t count as skill!”

He dissolved and reappeared behind her. “I’d like to see you do it.” He struck her with a lash made of the tendrils that grasped his arm. “Or are you only capable of screaming and hitting things?”

She thrust her weapon at him. “I already had the Knight call me ‘hellion’ more times than he called me Susie. I don’t need a lecture from you too.”

He snickered. “ _Lectures_ , maybe.”

“What was that?!”

He once again faded into the darkness to evade her retaliation.

Asriel took up a position beside Ralsei. “Hey, any chance you could start a fire or two?”

“How would that help?” Ralsei asked.

“Maybe lighting things up will make him easier to find. He can’t hide in the shadows if there are no shadows, right?”

“That’s a good idea.” Ralsei tossed a few fiery projectiles in different directions, igniting the ground in some spots. Sure enough, he was able to catch a glimpse of Helsing’s silhouette flitting toward Kris.

“Asriel, he’s right behind you!” Ralsei called out.

Asriel had no time to react before Helsing lashed him with his tendrils, sending him to the ground. He darted toward Ralsei and did the same to him. He dissolved and rematerialized beside Kris.

“Kris, run!” Ralsei shouted desperately.

Kris scrambled to his feet and attempted to flee. Helsing grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back, jumping away from the rest of the Fun Gang.

“You won’t be going anywhere.” Helsing shoved Kris back and ran him through with his scythe, lifting him several feet off the ground. Kris’ fingers curled around the snath of the scythe as his sword slipped from his grasp. Helsing slammed him into the ground, violently tearing his weapon free.

Kris was in too much pain to scream. He let out a weak gasp that was overtaken by a series of horrible, choking coughs. He lied in a rapidly expanding pool of his own blood, not even humoring the idea of trying to stand.

His agonized gasps were silenced when Helsing’s blade found purchase in his chest.

“This is the might of the Delta Warriors?” Helsing sneered. “I’m not impressed in the slightest.”

He ripped his weapon from Kris’ chest, watching with sick satisfaction as the last vestiges of life left his eyes. He knelt beside him and plunged his afflicted hand into his chest.

The rest of the Fun Gang could only stare in shock and horror. Ralsei felt his heart stop. Noelle nearly fainted. Asriel had to resist sinking to his knees. Frisk and Susie simply watched in disbelief.

With a spray of blood, Helsing pulled Kris’ soul from his body. He analyzed it for a second; it shone with a crimson light, and bore a few light cracks. He crushed it in his hands, shattering it into a thousand pieces.

Susie shook herself out of her horrified stupor. “I’m gonna fucking kill you, you son of a bitch!” She charged at him with her halberd raised.

Helsing skittered to the side to evade her attack. He slunk back into the shadows, creating a wall of black flames to cover his retreat. By the time it dissipated, he was long gone.

“Where the hell are you?” Susie glared in every direction. “Come back and fight me, you little bitch!”

“Susie, he’s gone…” Noelle glanced at Kris’ body. “Both of them are…”

“ _God fucking damnit!_ ” Susie tossed her halberd aside and slammed her fists into a nearby tree with enough force to crack it. She paid to heed to the pain she felt.

“No…” Ralsei knelt beside him. “No, no, no… Kris, you— you can’t die here…” He didn’t even attempt to fight back the tears forming in his eyes. “Please, don’t leave me like this…”

“H-he can’t be dead. He just can’t be,” Asriel told himself. “I-I don’t believe it. That… that couldn’t have happened. That didn’t happen!”

Noelle was overcome with emotions and dropped to her knees, hysterically crying into her hands.

Frisk placed a hand over her heart, feeling the sting of tears in her eyes. An all-too-familiar pain racked her soul. She only knew Kris for a few days, and yet it felt like she lost a close childhood friend. She had lost another person she held dear, and it still hurt just as much.

She joined the rest in openly weeping, while Susie continued to spout curse words.

What would they do now, without their leader?

* * *

_“Wherefore, heroism?”_

_-The Ancestor (Darkest Dungeon)_


	12. Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Fun Gang deals with the repercussions of Kris' untimely demise.

_“Warriors of light fight boldly_

_“Warriors of light die glorious_

_“Warriors walk on, nothing ventured, nothing gained_

_“Warriors, never lose your way”_

_-‘Warriors’ by Mono Inc._

* * *

Helsing strode into his throne room with a pleased grin on his face. “Alric, today is a good day.”

“You’re awfully cheerful, Master Helsing,” Alric observed. “I’m assuming your excursion was met with success?”

“Yes indeed, even if it was fairly limited.” Helsing dramatically hoisted his scythe over his shoulder. “I only managed to kill one of the Delta Warriors, but it was their leader. Taking one of the humans down should make things a lot easier going forward.”

“And without solid leadership, the rest should be that much easier to bring down. Their morale will no doubt suffer as well.”

“My thoughts exactly. It just goes to show, even the supposed best of the best can bleed. Even if that’s just one down, it’s still the greatest success of our operation thus far. This day belongs to the Shadowborn!”

“H-Helsing?” Rouxls peeked into the room, a look of shock on his face. “Did I heareth you sayeth that you killed one of the heroes?”

“I thought you were making some multicolored tile puzzle,” Helsing addressed him. “But yes, that’s correct. I got the human in armor. That’s their leader, right?”

Rouxls’ jaw dropped. “Y-yes, he was their leadere… You haveth mine congratulations.” His tone was obviously insincere.

Helsing cocked his head to the side. “Feel free to mourn him all you like. Just consider this a reminder of who the superior force is. This was never going to happen any other way, Rouxls.”

“…Of course. Now, if thou will excuseth me…” He left the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

All was silent for a moment before Alric spoke, “So, Master Helsing, how are we going to proceed?”

Helsing sat upon his throne. “For now, we’ll leave the Delta Warriors alone for a while. Let them think they have a chance to breathe. I want you to keep tabs on them, though, so when the time comes to finish them off, we can be fast and brutal.”

“Not a problem, sir.”

Helsing looked over his afflicted hand, observing how the tendrils twisted and writhed. “In the meantime, I’ll keep working on creating a functional dark fountain. Sooner or later, I have to figure out the right technique.”

“Indeed. Do be careful, though. If your… gift turns out to be an affliction, you wouldn’t want it to consume your mind.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll be careful.” Helsing noted that the tendrils had extended their reach up his arm and were now taking root directly over his heart. He reacted without fear, pleasure, or even surprise; he simply acknowledged it.

‘ _What does the greatest of the Shadowborn have to fear?_ ’

* * *

Meanwhile…

The night had come and gone by the time the remnants of the Fun Gang had arrived at the Town With No Name. Susie carried Kris’ body over her shoulder. Her eyes were dead and expressionless, never looking up from the ground in front of her.

Asriel had not said a word or made eye contact with anyone since Kris’ death. His hands were clenched into trembling fists. Every so often, he would glance over at Kris’ body, then at each of his comrades individually, and shake his head.

Ralsei and Noelle made no effort to hold back their tears. Ralsei in particular was thoroughly crushed. Aside from Gaster, Kris was the first person that truly cared about him. He was the love of his life, the first thing he ever had to be happy about. And now he was gone, snuffed out in seconds. As if the two hadn’t suffered enough.

Frisk kept seeing the events of the battle playing out in her mind. She was desperately looking for something, anything she could have done to save him. She could’ve taken the hit for him, she could’ve created a barrier to protect him, she could’ve even thrown herself at Helsing to divert his attention. And she did nothing. And now he was dead.

“Welcome back, honorable warriors,” the strange fellow in the gray robe greeted the group, shaking them from their thoughts. “Oh my, is your friend okay?”

“He’s dead, dumbass,” Susie stated.

“Oh… I see.” The strange fellow’s voice took on a somber tone. “If it means anything to you, you have my condolences. If you would like, we can give him a proper burial and allow you the time to pay your respects.”

“That would be nice,” Ralsei said. “Thank you.”

“We will get to work immediately.” The fellow walked off.

The group followed him, still carrying Kris’ body. The soldiers they passed looked on in shock and despair. Fear and doubt began to set in; some of them wondered if they could even hope to defeat Helsing if he was able to kill one of the famed Delta Warriors. Others found that Kris’ death had only strengthened their resolve. It brought even greater motivation to bring down the false monarch.

The Fun Gang felt nothing but sadness and grief. They had no feelings of inspiration or a desire for vengeance. They felt broken, like nothing more than a shadow of their former selves. They had lost the person that brought them all together.

The strange fellow and his compatriots dug a grave and assembled a simple wooden coffin, and gave Kris a quick burial. Asriel did the honors of resting Kris’ sword against his gravestone. He and the rest of his companions bowed their heads in mourning.

Ralsei knelt beside the grave and took his hat off, gripping it tightly. “I… I can’t believe he’s gone. One minute, he’s alive and well, and the next…” He choked back his tears. “It’s just— it’s not fair. He didn’t deserve this. He didn’t…”

He could no longer suppress his tears. He sobbed into his hat for a moment before continuing, taking a shaky breath. “Kris, I-I’m sorry… I could’ve done more to protect you…” He wiped his eyes. “I’m so sorry, Kris. I’ll… I’ll always love you, and I’ll miss you.”

Ralsei stood and put his hat back on. Noelle pulled him into a comforting embrace.

“Please don’t blame yourself,” she said. “You did everything you could. It’s not your fault.”

“I wish I could believe that.”

Asriel shook his head at the two. No one seemed to notice.

Susie looked down at the grave. “I don’t really know what to say, but… damnit, why’d it have to go down like this? Kris was the first real friend I had in years. He was never really afraid of me, which was a nice change of pace. He made me stop pushing people away and threatening to eat their faces. And as cheesy as it sounds, I like to think he helped me be a better person.”

She laughed humorlessly. “Looks like I beat you, Kris. I outlived you. Can’t say I’m happy about it, but… yeah.” She gave a casual salute. “I’ll see you in Valhalla, brother.”

Noelle took her turn to speak. “Kris and I have been friends since we were kids. He— he was one of the first people I could actually muster up the courage to talk to… He was the reason I got to know all of you. If he hadn’t introduced me to you guys, I don’t think I’d ever have come out of my shell… and I definitely wouldn’t have gotten together with Susie.”

She broke down into tears and turned away. “I just— I can’t…” She sniffled. “I’m sorry, Kris…!”

Frisk stood beside the grave with her hands behind her back. “I only knew Kris for a few days, but I considered him a good friend. He really made me feel welcome in the group. Not that the rest of you didn’t, but you know. I wish I had more time to get to know him.”

She sighed. “I can’t imagine what the rest of you are going through. I know what it’s like to lose people in your life, but… not forever. No one should have to deal with that. I wish I could do more than offer sympathy.”

Asriel knelt down. “Where do I even start? I loved Kris as soon as Mom and Dad adopted him. He looked kinda scared and withdrawn around us for a while, but I did my best to make sure he knew how much we cared about him.”

He paused for a moment.

“I think I made him feel like he was always overshadowed by me. I always felt bad about it, but now I feel even worse. I’m sorry, Kris. I’m gonna miss you.”

The group once again bowed their heads in silent respect.

“I am sorry for your loss, honorable warriors,” the strange fellow broke the silence. “Take however much time you need to mourn, but be mindful of Helsing’s progress. He is still out there, and he must be stopped.”

“We won’t take too long,” Ralsei said. “Thanks, for everything.”

The group walked away with no particular destination in mind.

“So, what now?” Susie spoke. “We need a leader. Anyone willing to take up the mantle?”

“Kris had a hierarchy in case something happened to him,” Ralsei said. “According to him, I’m supposed to take his place.”

“Well, you’re smart. I trust in your leadership.”

“Seconded,” Noelle raised her hand.

“Me too,” Frisk said.

“We shouldn’t even have to elect a new leader,” Asriel muttered to himself.

Ralsei frowned. “I know, but we do, and I’m sorry. No one’s happy about this.”

“This didn’t have to happen, you know. We could have avoided this if you guys had done your damn jobs.”

Susie stopped in her tracks. “Excuse me?”

“I’m just saying, all of you could’ve done better. Kris didn’t have to die there, and you all know it.”

“What?” Ralsei felt a pain in his soul. “Asriel, we did all we could—”

“Like hell you did.” Asriel stomped toward Ralsei. “You’re a healer. You’re supposed to keep us alive and well. Kris died. You know what could’ve prevented that? _Healing._ You’ve got barriers, too, don’t you? You absolutely did not do everything you could.”

“Hey, lay off, asshole!” Susie got between the two. “It’s not his fault some deranged psycho killed your brother!”

“Don’t you act like you did any better. Weren’t you supposed to keep him distracted so he _didn’t_ kill my brother? Fuck load of good you did.”

“Asriel, stop,” Frisk pleaded. “I know you’re upset, but—”

Asriel shushed her. “And you, I thought you were learning how to use magic. I didn’t see you doing a damn thing during that whole engagement. Where the hell were you when we needed you the most?”

Frisk started to tear up. “I-I wasn’t… I didn’t mean…”

Susie shoved Asriel back. “Hey, that’s your girlfriend. Don’t talk to her like that.”

“Don’t tell me how to talk to my girlfriend!”

“She’s a person, motherfucker. She has feelings too, and so does Ralsei. I suggest you shut your mouth before I break your neck.”

“Oh yeah? Where was that attitude when Kris got his soul ripped out, huh? Sure could’ve used some of that!”

“Guys, please stop arguing,” Noelle begged. “We shouldn’t be turning on each other.”

Asriel waved his hand dismissively. “Shut up, just shut up. You and Susie did pretty much nothing to slow Helsing down, our dedicated healer didn’t do a whole lot of healing, and our magic student doesn’t seem to be learning at all. And now my brother is dead. _I have a right to complain._ ”

Susie grabbed him by the collar and bared her teeth. “You are well outside your rights, pal. I ought to bite your throat out right now.”

“Susie, don’t,” Ralsei said. “He’s… he’s right.”

“Are you kidding me? Don’t let him shift the blame onto you! We tried our damnedest to take Helsing down, and you know it! I’m not gonna let this guy act like it’s our fault Kris died.”

“Even if he’s wrong, Noelle’s right. We shouldn’t turn on each other. Put him down, please.”

Susie sneered, but dropped Asriel on the ground. “You’re lucky, asshole.”

Asriel dusted himself off. “Yeah, uh-huh, whatever. Don’t talk to me, any of you.” He turned to walk away.

Frisk grabbed him by the arm. “Asriel, please—”

“You too.” He pulled away from her. “Just leave me alone.”

Frisk stood there for a moment. Her eyes welled up with tears, and she took off running in another direction.

“Frisk, wait!” Ralsei followed after her.

Noelle began to cry as well. “What’s happening to us…? How did this happen so fast?”

Susie hugged her. “I don’t know. I don’t know what we’re gonna do about it, either. I’m sorry he got on your ass like that.”

“It’s fine…” she sniffled.

“No, it’s not. He has no right to act like that to any of us. Don’t worry, though. I’ll sort him out.”

“Susie, don’t hurt him.”

“…I’ll get Ralsei and Frisk to sort him out.”

Noelle laughed halfheartedly. “Susie, how do you keep your composure in a time like this?”

“I’m not,” Susie admitted. “I’m just really good and pretending I am.”


	13. A House Divided

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Helsing accelerates his efforts, while the Fun Gang deals with rising tensions.

_“Gathered close in tenuous firelight, and uneasy companionship.”_

_-The Ancestor (Darkest Dungeon)_

* * *

“Alric!” Helsing slunk toward his advisor with a maddened look on his face. “Direct me to the closest position that hasn’t been ravaged by dark fallout. Now!”

Alric’s eyes widened in surprise. “Pardon me, Master Helsing, but you look awfully disheveled. Are you feeling well?”

“If I wanted a health assessment, I would’ve talked to a medic, not you.” Helsing shifted uncomfortably, picking at the tendrils that wrapped his arm. “I’m accelerating our operation. I’ve realized that we need to exploit the Delta Warriors’ moment of weakness and really put our plan in motion.”

“By that, I assume you mean you’re going to obsess over your dark fountains even more.”

“…In so many words. I need another test site, and I need one immediately. Direct me.”

Alric glanced over a map of the dark world that was hung on the wall. He noted the frighteningly large number of dark scribbles denoting fallout zones. Eventually, he sighed, “It looks like the region just north of the castle is still untainted.”

“Perfect. I’ll be heading out immediately.” Helsing turned to leave.

“Master Helsing, wait,” Alric stopped him.

“What is it?”

“Um… permission to speak freely?”

Helsing straightened his posture and stared at him, his expression unreadable. “Speak your mind, Alric,” he commanded.

Helsing suddenly looked much more intimidating. Taller, more formidable, and much more likely to put him in a shallow grave than normal.

Alric gulped. “Well, with all due respect—”

“Stop,” Helsing shushed him. “Nobody ever says ‘with all due respect’ unless they’re about to say something disrespectful.” He narrowed his eyes. “Choose your next words carefully.”

Alric nodded nervously. “Master Helsing, I’m very worried about your mental state. You haven’t been acting like yourself in days. You’re much more irritable and hostile, and your normal… sophistication is starting to fade. Actually, I’ve seen you act downright primal at times.”

Helsing was silent.

“Something about the darkness has corrupted you, and it’s taking its toll on you. Just look at yourself.” Alric looked away. “I just find this very troubling.”

“Alric, for the last time,” Helsing placed his hands on Alric’s shoulders, “you have nothing to worry about. I appreciate your concern, but it’s starting to grate on me. I am in no greater danger of going mad than I was yesterday, or the day before. If anything, you constantly bringing this up is going to push me over the edge.”

“O-of course, Master Helsing. I didn’t mean to offend…”

“Just have a little more faith in me. We’re going to succeed in our grand scheme. The whispers tell me so.”

Alric’s eyes widened. “The whispers…?”

Helsing chuckled. “I’m just messing with you.” He patted Alric on the shoulder. “I’m heading out. And yes, I will be careful. You worry too much.”

Alric chuckled as well, albeit more nervously. “Perhaps I do.” He mumbled under his breath, “Unlikely, though.”

Helsing left the room and walked until he was confident that Alric was out of earshot. He spoke out loud, “Yes, I know he’s paranoid. But he’s still an excellent, loyal advisor.”

He paused for a moment.

“I never would’ve gotten to my current position without him. He’s trustworthy. He won’t interfere with my work. He’s too valuable to—”

He stopped abruptly as his tendrils tightened their grasp.

“I know they say the ends justify the means, but the line has to be drawn somewhere. Turning on my own allies is too extreme, even after everything I’ve already done. Betrayal is unforgivable, no matter the circumstances.”

Another pause.

“I’ll get the job done, and I won’t have to harm my own people to do it. As soon as the other human dies, victory is certain.”

The tendrils loosened ever so slightly.

“It’s not overconfidence if it’s true.” He smirked. “And truer words were never spoken.”

* * *

Meanwhile…

Asriel sat alone outside the Town’s inn, his head hung low. A few hours had passed since he lashed out at his companions and sulked off on his own. He replayed their argument in his head over and over. His feelings of self-loathing grew stronger each time.

At the time, he saw nothing wrong with what he said. He had just watched his brother get brutally murdered by a deranged tyrant, after all. His companions weren’t powerless to stop it. _He_ wasn’t powerless to stop it. He couldn’t have been. Someone could have done something to save Kris. They should have. _He_ should have.

But he didn’t. And it cost Kris his life.

He buried his face in his hands. He was fully capable of stopping Helsing. But he didn’t.

Why did it have to be Kris? He didn’t deserve to die. He didn’t deserve to suffer through so much trauma and misery just to die at the hands of someone like Helsing, especially so unceremoniously.

It shouldn’t have been Kris.

‘ _It should have been me._ ’

He paid no heed to the heavy footsteps approaching him from behind.

“Hey, asshole,” Susie barked, “we got a few rooms. Come inside or sleep out here. Makes no difference to me.”

“I’ll be there soon,” he said flatly.

“You’re not crying, are you?”

He wiped his eyes. “No, I’m fine.”

She sneered. “Forgive me for not feeling any sympathy toward you.” She returned inside.

He sighed. He continued to sit alone for a few minutes before heading inside. He could only hope that the others would even be willing to talk to him at all.

“Here.” Susie shoved a room key into Asriel’s hands. “You’re right between our other rooms in case you’re ready to apologize.”

“That’s exactly what I was planning to do, so… Susie, I’m sorry for being so terrible to you and everyone else.”

“Great. Go apologize to them. They’re the ones you were the worst to.” She turned to walk away.

“So, are you and I on good terms…?”

She waved her hand dismissively. “Eh, I guess. I’ll let you keep your kneecaps, at least.”

He chuckled humorlessly. “I guess that’s the most I can ask for.”

He headed to his room and was mildly surprised to find Frisk waiting for him inside.

“Hey, Asriel,” she said. She sounded like she had just finished crying her eyes out.

“Hey, Frisk.” He gave a sad half smile and sat beside her. “I was thinking you wouldn’t want anything to do with me after the way I treated you.”

“I was thinking the same thing about you.” She broke eye contact. “I’m sorry about Kris, and I’m sorry I didn’t do anything to protect him.”

He pulled her into a comforting embrace, which she immediately melted into. “Frisk, don’t apologize. You didn’t do anything wrong, and I’m sorry I made you feel like you did.”

“It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. I treated all of you terribly, and there’s no excuse for that. I’m sorry for everything I said, and I’m sorry I made you cry.”

“I forgive you,” she said without hesitation.

“Really, just like that? No hard feelings or anything?”

“No hard feelings. I was honestly expecting you to leave me, so this is pretty much the best possible outcome.”

“Well, now I feel even worse.” He kissed her on the forehead. “I love you, Frisk. The only way I’d leave you is if you broke up with me.”

A slight smile graced her face. “I love you too.”

They continued to embrace each other for several minutes. No words were exchanged; they simply took comfort in each other’s presence.

Eventually, Asriel pulled away. “I hate to leave you alone, but I need to go talk to Ralsei and Noelle.”

Frisk nodded. “I’ll be right here. I’m gonna be working harder on my magic. Hopefully, I’ll be able to keep this from happening again.”

“I have full confidence in you.” Asriel shut the door behind him as he left the room. He knocked on the door to Ralsei’s room.

“Asriel?” Noelle answered the door. “What is it?”

“Noelle? I thought you’d be with Susie.”

“Ralsei’s taking this really hard, so I’m keeping him company.” Her voice took on a sterner tone, “You didn’t help matters at all, by the way.”

Asriel looked away in shame. “I know. I’m actually here to apologize for that. Now that I’ve thought about it for more than three seconds, I feel terrible.”

Noelle sighed. “Well, I accept your apology, but I can’t speak for Ralsei.” She allowed him to enter the room.

“Hey, Asriel,” Ralsei acknowledged his presence. His face was stained with tears, and his eyes were still red and puffy.

“Ralsei.” Asriel sat beside him. “How are you holding up?”

“Not very well,” Ralsei sniffled. “I feel like I had my heart ripped right out of my chest.”

Asriel placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Hey, I’m real sorry for everything I said to you. I was kind of a bastard to everyone, but especially to you. You’re probably hurting the most out of all of us, and I shouldn’t have made you feel worse.”

“It’s alright. I understand why you acted like that.”

“You do?”

“Mmhm. Anger’s a stage of grief. I won’t hold it against you, but… I will say, what you said really hurt.”

“I know, and I feel awful. You guys were right; we need to stick together. We gotta get back at Helsing, don’t we?”

Ralsei nodded.

“So, can we still be friends?”

Ralsei cracked a slight grin. “Of course.”

“Good. I’m glad to hear that.”

The two shared a quick friendly embrace. Asriel noticed Susie standing in the doorway, talking to Noelle. She glanced at him and give a nod of respect. He smiled in return.

He was thankful he was able to ease tensions among the group. He hoped that now, they would be able to depose Helsing and ensure he faced justice for his crimes.

‘ _Preferably with an execution…_ ’

* * *

Helsing looked upon the barren landscape. It was a perfectly flat, featureless layer of stone surrounded by small mountains on all sides. It would serve as a perfect testing ground.

He looked over the writhing mass of tendrils that had all but consumed his hand, and clenched it into a tight fist. His very soul burned with a newfound sensation of _power_. The intoxicating feeling was foreign, yet familiar. Perhaps his gift from the dark fountain had finished gestating and finally made itself manifest.

His whole body shuddered. “Yes… stygian shadows, guide my hand.”

He drove his hand into the earth, sinking his tendrils deep into the rocky ground. It began to crack apart and surge with raging flames, blacker than the darkest of nights. As he yanked his hand back, his tendrils remained embedded in the ground for several seconds before coiling around his arm once more.

Helsing watched in awe as the burning shadows coalesced into an expansive pool of flames. It burned hotter and hotter, eventually exploding into a steady upward stream of pure, unfathomable darkness.

“Now the moment of truth.” He cautiously stepped back and watched.

The new fountain buckled and thrummed loudly. The flames at its base erupted into an uncontrollable wildfire. The fountain surged and stabilized, emitting a thunderous shockwave high in the sky.

Helsing stared into the fountain. He was enraptured by its perfect, immutable darkness. He sank to his knees in prostration.

“They call me a madman. They say my mind is collapsing. But I know better.” He looked over his afflicted hand. “And I owe it all to you. My gift. My blessing.”

He stood and triumphantly strode away.

One human stood between him and total victory. What could stop him now?


	14. The March to War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Fun Gang gathers their forces and marches on the castle.

_“With the strength of lords, they challenged the dragons.”_

_-Dark Souls intro cinematic_

* * *

The Fun Gang stepped outside, and were greeted by the sight of the town’s populace gathered in a large crowd. They were talking over themselves indistinctly. They all seemed fully geared up for battle.

“What’s going on out here?” Asriel wondered.

“They might be talking about that.” Ralsei pointed at the ominous anomaly that ripped through the sky.

A new dark fountain surged over the horizon. It was different from the one in Castle Town – this one was not so much a fountain as it was a towering pillar of umbral flames. It was immeasurably dark in comparison to the original fountain, to the point that it appeared to absorb the light around it.

“Helsing made another dark fountain?” Frisk was concerned. “It doesn’t look like it’s going to destabilize any time soon.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Ralsei said. “If he figured out how to do this, then we’re running out of time.”

Susie flashed a murderous grin. “So you’re saying it’s time to start killing shit?”

“More or less, yes.”

“Hell yeah, brother. It’s about time.” She brandished her halberd. “Let’s go rally the troops and head out.”

The five of them approached the crowd. They were quickly greeted by the strange fellow in the gray robe.

“Honorable warriors, we were awaiting your arrival,” he said. “I trust you have noticed the new dark fountain?”

“Kinda hard not to notice,” Asriel remarked.

“We need to take the fight to Helsing right away,” Ralsei stated. “Is everyone ready to go?”

The strange fellow nodded. “We are all equipped for battle and ready to move on your order.”

“Great…” Ralsei stood in place, unsure how to proceed.

“What’s wrong?” Noelle asked.

Ralsei shrugged. “Well, Kris would probably give some inspiring speech right now. I don’t really know what to say.”

“Alright, boys, listen up!” Susie shouted. “We’re about to go to full scale war with Helsing, and we’re gonna make him bleed.”

“Looks like she’s got the speech covered,” Frisk observed.

Susie continued, “Helsing thinks he can just show up and take over the dark world. He thinks he can invade the light world and snuff out all the light. He has the nerve to think he can get away with killing our leader! Well, we’re not gonna take that lying down, _are we?_ ”

“No!” the crowd responded.

“We’re not gonna sit around and let this guy victimize us anymore, _are we?_ ”

“No!”

“That’s right! We’re gonna head out and stick that bastard’s head on a stake. We’ll crush his army, see them driven before us, and hear the lamentations of their women. We’ll pay him back tenfold for everything he’s done!”

There came a chorus of agreement from the crowd.

“We’re marching on his castle, and we’re gonna fight like hell. Helsing won’t even know what hit him. And we’re taking him down last. I want him to see us burn everything he’s worked toward to the ground.”

Asriel stepped up beside her. “Helsing took more from us than we can even begin to measure. We’re all that’s left to oppose him, so it’s up to us to make sure he faces justice. We won’t let anything stop us, will we?”

“ _No!_ ” spoke the crowd.

“Damn right, we won’t! If anyone can bring this guy down, it’s us! So, let’s go show him what we’re made of.”

Susie spoke, “Some of you could die. But who knows? Maybe you won’t!”

One of the guards from Downpour raised her spear high. “To die in battle is the highest of honors! We will face death with dignity!”

Several voices in the crowd spoke out in agreement.

“Lady, you have my respect,” Susie said. “Now, what do you say we stop standing here giving speeches? Let’s go!”

The crowd erupted into a spirited battle cry. Within minutes, they all had fallen into marching formation, with the Fun Gang leading the charge.

“I’ll lead the way,” Ralsei said. “Everyone stay close and keep an eye out for Helsing’s troops. For all we know, he might already be ready for us.”

The small army marched forth with a singular purpose. As they walked, Ralsei glanced over at Kris’ grave, his eyes flashing with vengeance.

‘ _You didn’t die in vain, Kris. We’ll finish this for you, I promise._ ’

* * *

Meanwhile…

“Master Helsing, I have important news.” Alric entered the throne room and was immediately taken aback. “Um… what are you doing, sir?”

Helsing sat upon his throne, obsessively examining his afflicted hand and gibbering nonsensically to himself. His ‘gift’ had spread to his other arm, and already consumed half of it. He did not acknowledge Alric’s presence at all.

“Master Helsing!” he shouted.

Helsing was shaken from his reverie. “Alric, I’ve done it!” He strode over to him and placed his hands on his shoulders. “After all this time, I’ve finally figured out how to create dark fountains!”

“I can see that,” he slowly lifted Helsing’s hands off his shoulders, “and so can the Delta Warriors. My scouts reported that they’re mobilizing their troops. They’re marching on the castle as we speak.”

Rage flashed on Helsing’s face. “Of course, the Delta Warriors. They’ll seal the new fountain. They’re storm the castle and dethrone me. They’ll ruin everything I’ve worked for…! I won’t have it!”

The tendrils that wrapped his body surged in response to his outburst. Alric fearfully took a step back.

“Ridiculous…” he continued. “To think that one human could potentially unravel our whole scheme. It’s one human, Alric! I could easily cut her down. I should have cut her down when I had the chance.”

Alric raised his hands defensively. “Master Helsing, please, stay calm. We can mobilize our own troops in response and meet them head-on. With you leading us into battle, victory is certain.”

“No, no, I have more important things to do, and so do you. If we’re going to topple the lightners, we need to get ready to invade the light world. Assign a field commander to deal with the Delta Warriors. You and I will build a team and head to Castle Town immediately.”

“Forgive me, Master Helsing, but wouldn’t it be a better decision to prioritize destroying the greatest threat to your plans before initiating the invasion?”

“I don’t have time to deal with that right now, Alric!” Helsing’s tendrils flared up again. “The lightners will have a defensive force of their own, and we need to be fast and brutal against them. Assign a field commander and get ready to leave, now.”

“But Master—”

“ _That’s an order._ ”

“…Yes, sir.” With that, Alric left the room.

Rouxls entered the room as he left, and approached Helsing. “Sire, I volunteereth to serve as a field commandere. I shalt leadeth my search party into battle.”

“No,” Helsing said.

“But sire, my familiarity with the heroes wouldst be most valuable on the battlefield.”

“You’ve done nothing but let me down the whole time you’ve worked for me. Have you even made a single puzzle that couldn’t be solved by a drunk toddler?”

Rouxls’ eyes briefly sparkled with pride. “Well, yes, but that is besideth the point. I can help thine troops, Helsing. I will redeemeth mineself!”

“No.”

“But—”

“No. Get out of here.” Helsing left the room.

Rouxls sighed and left as well. He slunk back to the barracks that housed his company of defectors.

“My request was deniedeth,” he announced.

“Well, ain’t that some shit,” one of the soldiers said.

“So, what’s the plan now?” asked the company captain, Nerys.

“We simply cannot standeth idly by,” Rouxls said. “If Helsing hath caught on to our plan, then we shalt venture forth clandestinely.”

“You’re suggesting an unsanctioned deployment?”

“Verily. Helsing is rallying his troops to invadeth the light worlde. He hath become quite single-minded in his purpose. It seemeth unlikely that he will notice us.”

Another soldier raised his hand to speak. “That sounds good and all, but don’t you think his other troops will notice us heading out without Helsing’s approval? He might not notice, but someone else probably will.”

Rouxls considered his question. “’Tis a worry, but I do believeth that nothing would become of it. Who would they tell? Not Helsing, for he art occupied, and not his advisor, for he art preparing to battle the heroes.”

“I hope you’re right, but it still feels a little risky considering how many of us there are.”

“Your concerne is understandable, but we have little time to trouble ourselves with such concerns. The heroes needeth us, and we must answer the call of duty.”

Nerys called the other soldiers to attention. “He’s right. If the Delta Warriors go down, we won’t stand a chance against that crazy bastard Helsing. All of you, grab your gear and get ready to move out.”

“Yes, ma’am!” they responded.

Nerys turned to Rouxls, “I’ll lead these guys into combat. You stay here and just act like you’re following orders.”

He nodded. “Very well. I placeth mine trust in your abilities.”

“I won’t let you down.”

“You never do, Nerys.”

* * *

The Fun Gang marched on. The Town With No Name had disappeared over the horizon, and they were well on their way to the castle. There had been no sign of Helsing’s forces thus far.

“So, Ralsei,” Asriel said, “what’s the plan for that dark fountain?”

“We can ignore that for now,” Ralsei replied. “Stopping Helsing is our first priority. With him out of the way, sealing any fountains he opens shouldn’t be too hard.”

“Famous last words,” Susie quipped.

They continued their march until they spotted a battalion of Helsing’s troops off in the distance. They were moving directly toward them.

“Looks like trouble ahead,” Frisk observed. “No getting around these guys.”

“Then we fight through them,” Ralsei said. “Let’s go.”

They cautiously approached Helsing’s forces, keeping their weapons at the ready. Both sides came to a halt when they met.

The leader of Helsing’s battalion stepped forward. “Enemies of the throne, this is your one and only offer of surrender. Give yourselves up now, and no one has to get hurt.”

Susie stepped forward. “Evil bastards, this is _your_ one and only chance to get out of our way. If you don’t, we’ll beat your asses into the pavement.”

The battalion leader drew his sword – an elegantly crafted rapier – and pointed it at her. “Your threats are considered an act of aggression, hellion.”

“No shit. You gonna get out of our way or not?”

“I believe you already know the answer. To arms, men!”

The Shadowborn troops took on a battle stance.

“Big mistake, pal.” Susie bared her teeth.

“Everyone, get ready to fight!” Ralsei called out.

The two armies charged at each other.


	15. Steel Meets Steel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fight! Fight! Fight!

_“Unsheathe your blades!”_

_-The Ancestor (Darkest Dungeon)_

* * *

The two armies clashed, and within seconds, the plains became a chaotic battlefield. Soldiers crossed blades, mages scorched the air with magical barrages, and physical projectiles of all kinds were exchanged. Battle cries and leaders shouting orders could barely be heard over the sounds of battle.

Susie and Noelle fought back to back. Noelle periodically fired her crossbow in all directions as a form of suppressive fire. Whenever an attacker would draw too close, she would strike them with the butt of her weapon to force them back.

Susie was much more brutal and direct. She engaged her adversaries in brief melee skirmishes, mercilessly injuring them until they could no longer fight. She would only change targets when her previous one lied broken at her feet.

“Hey, Ralsei,” she delivered a left hook to her opponent, “you still don’t want us to kill anyone, right?”

Ralsei slammed a magic barrier into a Shadowborn soldier. “Right.” He sent a wave of raging flames into the crowd. “No matter what happens, we stick to our principles.”

“Hell yeah, brother!” Susie headbutted another soldier into unconsciousness.

Ralsei and Asriel gathered around Frisk and fended off any approaching attackers. She was the only one who could seal Helsing’s fountains – they simply could not lose her.

Asriel engaged the Shadowborn mages from a distance with lightning magic, occasionally employing a pair of conjured blades he called chaos sabers. Ralsei had taken on a more active role in combat, weaving great firestorms that swept across the battlefield. He was even more aggressive than he was against Chara.

Frisk defended herself and her companions with her own magic barriers. Her practice was finally paying off; her barriers could now withstand a fair amount of punishment. Whatever slipped past her defenses, Ralsei would heal through. Whatever the rest didn’t see coming, Frisk would repel.

From the distance, Rouxls’ resistance force approached. They had been tailing the Shadowborn battalion for some time, and now stood ready for battle.

“Looks like they started without us,” Nerys observed. “Hope they saved us a seat.”

They rushed the battalion’s flanks and infiltrated their ranks.

“Sir, reinforcements have arrived!” one of the soldiers called out, retreating from a swordfight.

“Wait, what?” the Shadowborn leader was confused. “I never requested reinforcements…”

Before anyone knew what was going on, the defectors got to work bringing down their former allies. The Shadowborn ranks quickly descended into uncontrolled chaos. Soldiers fell to the ground left and right. Swordsmen indistinguishable from one another engaged in bloody skirmishes. Countless fighters were shot in the back.

Susie charged into the fray. She chopped down her foes with ruthless efficiency. She pummeled them into submission. She terrified them to the point that they lost the will to fight. She showed no signs of tiring or relenting.

She hissed in pain when a sword was thrust into her side. She turned to face her attacker: the Shadowborn battalion leader.

“You have quite the audacity, hellion,” he said, each word punctuated with another thrust from his rapier. “To think you can challenge Helsing is lunacy!”

Susie retaliated with a few swings of her halberd. “Everyone calls me hellion. Come up with a new insult, why don’t you.” She kicked him in the chest.

“But it’s such a good descriptor!”

The two traded blows until Susie parried an attack with enough force to knock the man’s weapon from his hand. She sheathed her halberd, grabbed him by the collar, and punched him in the jaw several times. She threw him aside and allowed Ralsei to pacify him.

The Shadowborn struggled to gain a handle on their current situation. They were barely able to focus their efforts on fending off the defectors. Most of them seemed to have completely forgotten their original opponents.

“We’re losing people on the left!” one of them shouted.

“And the right, and the front, and the back!” another retorted. “Just tell me where we aren’t losing people!”

“Um… nowhere.”

A fiery spearwoman ran one of them through, while Asriel shocked the other until he was incapacitated. Noelle took up a position beside Asriel and shot another soldier through the knee. Ralsei scorched the ground with white-hot waves of fire, stopping only to pacify each foe that fell by his hand.

Eventually, the Shadowborn were able to refocus their efforts. They repositioned to put distance between themselves and the defectors, and directed their attention to the other members of the Fun Gang’s army.

A Shadowborn halberdier cut down a pair of swordsmen in a single cleave. A mage supported him by riddling another soldier with a storm of razor-sharp icicles. A crossbowman engaged in a sniper duel with another crossbowman, though they were both taking cover on opposite sides of the same rock.

“Shit, they’re killing us,” Susie growled. “Noelle, help me out!”

Noelle reloaded her crossbow. “I’ve got your back!”

Susie charged deeper into battle under Noelle’s covering fire. Susie impaled a swordsman with the spike atop her halberd’s blade, following up with a clothesline to the face. She lunged at another and tackled him to the ground.

Nerys laughed as she chopped down another soldier. “Oh, are you afraid of us? Can’t handle a real challenge?”

“Oh, shut up!” a mage launched a barrage of flames at her. “You’re a goddamn traitor, Nerys. I would’ve expected this from some people, but not from you.”

Nerys weaved through the assault and thrust her sword at the mage. “You’re a moron for following that lunatic. He’s gonna destroy the dark world at this rate.”

The mage released a wave of fire. “I thought you hated lightners as much as Helsing. I thought you’d be happy with what he’s doing!”

Nerys slid between the mage’s legs, slashing at his ankles. “I’d rather deal with lightners than that psychopath.”

She ran the mage through and tossed him aside as his body crumbled to dust. She took up a position beside Susie, and the two battled back to back. Nerys slew her foes with ruthless efficiency. For every soldier Susie neutralized, Nerys killed two.

“You’ve got skills, lady,” Susie whacked a soldier over the head with her weapon.

“You’re not so bad yourself,” Nerys plunged her sword into another soldier’s chest.

Asriel shocked a group of soldiers into paralysis, while Noelle continued to riddle her foes with crossbow bolts. Ralsei’s devastating flames swept over the battlefield, engulfing everything in their path. Frisk experimented with discharging her barriers as projectiles, with some success.

The Shadowborn forces began to crumble. Their numbers had dwindled significantly, and they were no longer able to withstand the Fun Gang’s assault. Some of them retreated, having suffered near fatal wounds.

“Everyone fall back to the castle!” one of them commanded. “We need to warn Helsing!”

The rest of the Shadowborn scrambled to escape the battle. Those that attempted to fight their way through were either cut down or pacified. Within minutes, there were less than a dozen left standing.

“Go on and run!” Susie taunted. “Tell Helsing we’re coming for him! Let him know how much I wanna split his skull open!”

As the Shadowborn fled, Noelle shot one in the leg. Ralsei pacified him and took a look over the battlefield.

“Looks like that’s it,” he said. “Is everyone alright?”

“Looks like we lost a few people,” Frisk observed. “Other than that, I think everyone’s okay.”

“This was easier than I expected,” Noelle said.

“Don’t expect that to last,” Nerys advised. “We need to get to the castle before Helsing sets up a defensive line.”

Ralsei nodded. “Let’s go, everyone. Stay close and be ready to battle.”

The army immediately set off toward the castle. Their inexorable march was fueled by a sense of justice and vengeance; nothing would stop them. They would end Helsing’s reign of terror, one way or another.

Along the way, Susie turned to Nerys. “I caught something about you hating lightners. You wanna elaborate on that?”

Nerys turned away in shame. “I admit, that opinion is steeped in ignorance. I may have followed Helsing a little too blindly in the past.”

Susie sneered. “Sure, let’s go with that. As long as you don’t treat me like garbage or stick a knife in my back, we’re fine.”

“The thought never even crossed my mind.”

* * *

Later…

“All of you, hurry up!” Helsing barked, a tone of rising anger to his voice. “We don’t have a second to waste! The Delta Warriors could be right outside our door for all we know!”

All around him, his troops scrambled to prepare for their invasion of the light world. They were in disarray, having received next to no time to gear up. They fumbled over each other as they lined up before him.

“We’re heading out in a few minutes,” he said, “and I want all of you to bring your A-game. Nothing short of the best can be tolerated for this task. Can I count on you?”

“Yes, sir!” his troops responded.

“Good. This’ll be the fight of your lives, but we will triumph. We are the Shadowborn, and the light fears us!”

Alric approached Helsing. “Still no word from the assault team. I can only assume the Delta Warriors have defeated them.”

Helsing let out a low growl. “We can’t let them reach the castle. We’re going to have to leave a team behind to hold them off. I don’t think I need to tell how bad this is, Alric.”

“Master Helsing, I don’t think you can really blame them. The Delta Warriors are unlike any other foe we’ve faced. There are no other—”

“I don’t want to hear excuses, Alric.” Helsing’s tendrils surged, and his eyes flashed an empty white color. “We have no room for error. If we give them an inch, they’ll take four miles. You sent a battalion of trained soldiers to stop a ragtag band of nobodies, and you’re telling me they’re all out of commission?”

Alric took a step back, raising his hands defensively. “Master Helsing, please calm down. You have to remember that they dethroned the Chaos King and slew an interchronal omnicidal demon. They’re far more than a ragtag band of nobodies.”

Helsing sighed heavily and turned away. “Well, it’s too late now. Better start a headcount now. We’ll need plenty of men here to have a chance of holding the castle.” He turned to the legion of soldiers. “Everyone pass by in a single-file line. I’m taking no more than 500 with me. Everyone else stays here.”

Rouxls watched from a distance. He silently rejoiced when he heard Alric’s news.

“Sounds like Nerys’ team did some good work,” one of his defectors commented.

“Indeed. Hopefully they did not suffere too many casualties. We must remaineth here to aid them with the castle’s defense team.”

“That I can do. We’ll just hang out in the crowds and start backstabbing when things pop off.”

“Excellent. Togethere, we shalt bringeth Helsing to ruin.”

Another soldier chimed in, “What about King Lancer? He’s still at the Watching Cliffs, right?”

“Correct. I instructed him to remaineth there for the time being. When we hath secured the castle, we shalt go retrieveth him.”

“You sure he’ll be alright there?”

“Helsing left the Cliffs nearly unguarded. Lancer art quite adept at remaining hidden.”

“If you say so.”

Rouxls took a seat, smiling to himself. Things were going according to plan. The dark world’s rightful monarch would be restored to power before long, and the loathsome usurper would answer for his crimes.

Hopefully…


	16. Storm the Castle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alric finally puts two and two together, just in time for the Fun Gang to assault the castle.

_“Siege the day.”_

_-Rainbow Six: Siege tagline_

* * *

Shadowborn troops gathered along the castle parapets. Dozens upon dozens of them lined the walls, with all manner of weapons and spells at the ready. Helsing stood among them, looking off into the distance.

“The Delta Warriors will probably be here any minute,” he said. “I need you to keep them away from the castle at all costs. You absolutely cannot allow them to move on to Castle Town. Understood?”

“Yes, sir,” the battalion leader nodded. “We won’t let you down.”

“You better not, because if you do, everything we’ve worked toward will be jeopardized.”

Helsing retreated into the castle. Gathered in front of him was an invasion force consisting of hundreds of soldiers, all eager for battle.

“No time for speeches,” he told them. “We move out now and take the light world by storm. No retreat, no mercy. Leave nothing but prisoners and corpses in your wake.”

He gestured for them to follow him and made for the exit. Alric accompanied him, but was stopped at the doorway.

“You’re staying here to lead the defensive force,” Helsing said. “I trust in your abilities more than anyone else’s.”

Alric nodded. “Very well. Good luck, Master Helsing.”

“Good luck to you too.” He beckoned his army. “Let’s go. May the stygian shadows guide us.”

Alric watched as the invasion force departed. He sighed when he was alone. His confidence in Helsing’s leadership dwindled day by day as he bore witness to his descent into madness and obsession. Helsing was always a focused, purpose-driven individual, but never to this extent.

He never placed so much blind faith in anything.

It was unclear whether Helsing’s failing sanity was a result of him drawing power from the dark fountain, or exposure to the dark fallout that ravaged the land. Regardless, it slowly ate away at his mind, leaving him as a husk of his former self.

Helsing’s mental state had sown dissent into the ranks. There were talks of a resistance cell forming to oppose his rule. Some soldiers had adorned their armor with puzzling blue sigils, while others had disappeared entirely.

It was clear to Alric that a resistance force was forming. The traitors were not subtle about their allegiance, which left identifying their leader as the task at hand. Fortunately, there was only one individual in the castle that would go through so much effort to undermine Helsing.

‘ _I suppose Rouxls Kaard isn’t completely moronic after all._ ’

Rouxls’ resistance force was a far greater threat than the Delta Warriors. The most dangerous enemy one could face on the battlefield was their supposed ally sticking a knife in their back. Alric had to root them out right away.

He set off to find Rouxls. He found him assembling a simple puzzle that was little more than a glorified word search. Alric scoffed to himself; everyone knew crosswords were harder.

“Rouxls,” he said. “I need to have a word with you.”

“Greetings, Alric,” Rouxls waved without looking away from his work. “I am afraid I cannot speaketh with thou at this moment.”

“This is far more important than making puzzles. This concerns the loyalty of the Shadowborn army, and how you’re impacting it.”

Rouxls froze. “W-whatever dost thou mean?”

Alric pulled him away from his puzzle. “Don’t play dumb with me. Although, given your reputation, I don’t think you need to _play_ dumb. I have reason to suspect that you’re forming a sort of resistance network within our ranks.”

Rouxls shook his head. “Why, I wouldst never even considere such a treasonous act! I am most loyal to the dark world’s monarch!”

“Please, you couldn’t be any more obvious. The false information, the blue marks on people’s armor, your past with the Delta Warriors… Everything lines up perfectly with you at the center. Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

“I haveth the right to remain silent.”

“Not in this castle, you don’t.” Alric grabbed a steel dagger from his coat. “I want to hear it from you. Admit to your betrayal.”

“I shall not, and thou cannot maketh me!”

Alric narrowed his eyes. “I’m going to stand here until you admit to what you’re doing.” He leaned against Rouxls’ puzzle, but shrieked and jumped back when he received an electric shock.

“What just happened?”

“Ah, it’s working!” Rouxls clapped his hands together, producing a faint blue spark. “Excellent. And now, thou cannot attacketh me.”

“What…?”

Rouxls flashed a devious smile. “I believeth thou will find thineself unable to act upon thine threats.”

Alric rolled his eyes. “I have no qualms about harming you. We wouldn’t be losing anything of value, anyway.”

He stabbed at Rouxls, only to have his arm lock up. Confused, he tried again, and was met with no success. No matter how forcefully he stabbed, his arm refused to move toward Rouxls at all.

“What the hell?” his eyes darted back and forth between his dagger and Rouxls. “What did you do?”

Rouxls raised a finger to shush him. “I mustn’t shareth all of my tricks. Do be mindful to followeth the rules, though.”

“The rules…” Alric quickly realized what he had done. “You traitorous bastard. I’ll find some way to take you down, mark my words.” He turned to leave, but stopped. “Wait, if you could do that the whole time, why didn’t you do that sooner?”

“’Twas far too dangerous. It wouldst have been far too easy for me to be detained and executed.”

“And now I’m seeing that it was a mistake to confront you alone. You’re cleverer than I thought, Rouxls.”

“Indeed. Now, if thou wilt excuseth me…” he left the area, giving Alric one last smug look.

Alric barely had time to process his anger before a Shadowborn soldier burst through the castle gate, bleeding and panicked.

“Alric, they’re here! They’re breaking the gate down!”

Alric’s eyes widened. “The Delta Warriors?”

Blades and blunt instruments pierced holes in the castle gate. The gate caught fire and rapidly burned away. Within seconds, the gate was torn to pieces and the Fun Gang’s army poured into the castle. The fiery spearwoman leapt forth and skewered the soldier before Alric, leaving him to die where he stood.

“Oh, hell!” Alric hastily retreated to the upper levels up the castle, shouting orders to the troops stationed at the castle.

Susie sauntered forth, looking over the empty entryway. “Well, getting in was easy enough. Now for the eviction.”

“This is going to be the hard part,” Ralsei said. “Everyone be careful.”

They all advanced into the castle. Shadowborn soldiers poured out from the stairwell to meet them. Both sides wasted no time in engaging each other. Susie and Nerys led the charge, slashing through anything that stood in their way. Another bloody skirmish ensued.

From the top of the stairs, a team of defectors readied their weapons as they watched the battle unfold. They charged down the stairs, chopping down their unsuspecting opponents. The Shadowborn defense quickly crumbled under the pincer attack.

The skirmish was over within seconds, and the Fun Gang’s army advanced up the stairs. To their pleasant surprise, much of the castle’s defensive force was already slain by Rouxls’ team. Even Rouxls himself was aiding them in battle by establishing a series of increasingly absurd rules for the Shadowborn to follow.

“’Tis good to see thou again, heroes!” he said.

“Should I ask what’s going on here?” Asriel tried to make sense of the sight in front of him. Helsing’s troops were desperately spinning in circles with their weapons held between their teeth, trying and failing miserably to hit their opponents, who were unimpeded.

“I hath finally foundeth an opportunity to use mine magic!” Rouxls stated proudly.

“That doesn’t really make things clearer…” Noelle said, trying to contain her laughter.

“I am capable of making rules for battle that must be followed! I can turneth many skirmishes in mine favor.”

Susie punched a soldier into unconsciousness. “Well, why didn’t you do that before?”

“I can only useth mine magic on single individuals. I wouldst have been killed had I used it earlier.”

“Better late than never, I guess.” Susie slammed another soldier’s face into the wall.

From the throne room, Alric watched as the few Shadowborn troops that remained were beaten into submission. He hastily glanced around, cursing under his breath when he realized he was all alone.

“It’s up to me to hold the line.” He reached for his dagger, clutching it tightly. “I won’t let you down, Master Helsing.”

A cry of pain came from the floor below, followed by the sound of a soldier collapsing onto the stairs. Alric was suddenly overtaken by a wave of terror. It was just him against a small army. And no doubt, the Delta Warriors were more motivated than ever to tear him to shreds. Could he even put a dent in their forces?

Before he had any more time to think, the Fun Gang entered the room.

“Just this guy?” Asriel scoffed.

“And Helsing’s nowhere to be seen,” Frisk observed.

Alric steeled himself and took on a battle stance. “Hear me, intruders. I, Alric, advisor to the king, shall stop you where you stand!”

Ralsei rolled his eyes and sent a single flaming projectile his way. It impacted a few inches from him, causing him to shriek and drop his weapon.

“No more! I yield, I yield!” Alric cowered on the floor.

“Well, that was easy,” Frisk said.

“I expected more from thou, Alric,” Rouxls sauntered up to him.

“Oh, shut up,” he snapped back.

“Thou shouldst accepteth defeat with grace.” He pulled him off the ground and handcuffed him.

“Like you did, immediately letting Master Helsing take you into his service?”

“Be quiet,” Ralsei commanded. He walked up to Alric and glared into his eyes. “Where’s Helsing?”

Alric scoffed. “I would never tell you. Even if I did, you’re far too late to stop him. The light world is already doomed.”

Susie punched him in the gut. “Answer the question, jackass.”

“I refuse!”

She bared her teeth threateningly. Multicolored sparks surged in Asriel’s hand, while Ralsei conjured a flame in his.

“Where’s Helsing?” Ralsei demanded. His voice was filled with venom, and his eyes burned with barely restrained fury.

Alric suppressed another shriek of fear. “He’s at Castle Town! He’s just about to initiate his invasion of the light world. He may still be there.”

“Now, was that so hard?” Frisk crossed her arms.

“Yes, it was.”

“Well, you’ve been helpful either way. We should get going.”

“My troops shalt accompany you, heroes,” Rouxls said. “We will occupyeth Helsing’s forces whilst you followeth him into the light world.”

“Thank you, Rouxls,” Noelle said. “We’d never be able to do this without your help.”

“’Tis the least I can do. In the meantime, I shalt taketh a team to retrieve Lancer and restoreth him to his rightful place. Good luck, my friends. And, Ralsei, I am very sorry about Kris. I know he meant very much to you.”

“Yeah…” Ralsei sighed. “We won’t let Helsing get away with it, or anything else he’s done.”

“I know thou won’t. Godspeed, heroes!”

The Fun Gang set off with a group of forty or so soldiers in their ranks. As they exited the castle, Susie threw her arm around Ralsei.

“Dude, that was great!” she praised. “You were actually kinda terrifying when you were dealing with that Alric guy. I didn’t think you had it in you!”

“Thanks, I guess,” Ralsei gave a half smile. “I think I scared myself a little, too. You’ll stop me if I start to take this revenge thing too far, right?”

“We won’t let it come to that,” Noelle assured him. “I don’t think you’re anywhere near that level, anyway.”

“If anything, I don’t think you’d be going far enough if you didn’t kill Helsing,” Asriel added. “Give that bastard what’s coming to him.”

“Hell yeah, brother,” Susie agreed. “Now, let’s get going. There’s kneecaps that need breaking!”


	17. Nightfall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Helsing's invasion commences.

_“The moon is close. It will be a long hunt tonight.”  
-Gehrman (Bloodborne)_

* * *

“Lancer? Wherefore art thou, Lancer?” Rouxls called out, his voice echoing in the stillness of the Watching Cliffs.

“Are you sure he’s here?” one of his defectors questioned. “We’ve been here for, like, thirty minutes without seeing anything.”

“He is here, alright. I conversed with him here not too long ago.”

“You don’t think the Shadowborn got to him, do you?”

Rouxls’ face went slightly pale. “Please, do not putteth such thoughts into mine head.”

They continued their search for a few minutes before a subtle movement caught their eye. Rouxls approached slowly, and was pleased to find Lancer sitting behind a large rock.

“Dad, you know there’s a bunch of those evil soldiers behind you, right?” he whispered.

“Nothing to fear, my boy,” Rouxls said. “They hath forsaken their allegiance to the false monarch and now fight for what is right!”

Lancer blinked. “Huh?”

Rouxls sighed dramatically. “They work for us, not Helsing.”

“Oh, that’s great!” Lancer waved to the crowd. “Nice to see you clowns!”

Stifling her laughter, one of the defectors gave a respectful bow. “A please to see you, your majesty.”

“So, Dad, did we win?”

“Not quite, I am afraid,” Rouxls said. “We hath reclaimed Card Castle, but Helsing is still at large. The heroes art on their way to vanquish that loathsome scoundrel as we speaketh.”

His expression became much grimmer. “Alas, Helsing hath claimed a victory against the heroes. Kris was killed.”

“ _What?_ ” Lancer was taken aback. “He’s dead? Like, really truly dead?”

“I am afraid so. The other heroes did not bringeth his body to the castle, so I can only assumeth they hath already given him a propere burial.” Rouxls placed a hand on his shoulder. “I am sorry, Lancer.”

Lancer looked away. He said nothing for several seconds.

“Art thou okay, Lancer?”

“Yeah, I guess so.” He sighed. “I’ll miss him, though.”

“Thou art not the only one, I assureth thee.” Rouxls stood and offered his hand to Lancer. “Shall we returneth to the castle? Thou will be safer there.”

Lancer took his hand. “Let’s go. I need to fix everything that Helsing guy ruined.”

“I believeth thou will haveth thine work cut out for thou. Helsing’s malignant rule hath ravaged the dark world in more ways than one. But, if anyone can fixeth his mess, ‘tis thou.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” an unfamiliar voice stated. It was thunderous, echoing throughout the Watching Cliffs.

Rouxls turned to face the source of the voice. “And just who art thou?”

Before him stood a towering warrior clad in armor blacker than the darkness of the fountain, adorned with silver accents. His face was one of a man who had seen countless battles, heavily scarred and mangled. He carried two greatswords that were longer than he was tall, and likely combined to be heavier than him.

The warrior spoke, “My name is Alister Vallsgärde. I am the Shadowborn’s greatest champion. As I breathe, you shall not reach the castle gate!”

Vallsgärde struggled to heave his greatswords over his shoulders and charged very slowly toward Rouxls. His advance was inexorable; no one could hope to hold this mountain of a man back.

However, even with his immense strength, he was pitifully slow. Multiple full minutes passed before he even got halfway to Rouxls.

“Is this guy for real?” one of the defectors wondered.

“I’ve never even heard of him,” another said.

“Oh, you will…” Vallsgärde breathed heavily, sweat pouring from his face like a faucet. “Just as soon as I… reach you… you’re done…!”

Several more minutes later, he swung his greatswords overhead and brought them down into the ground with earthshaking force. Rouxls casually stepped to the side to avoid the attack.

Vallsgärde nearly collapsed from exhaustion. “You’re… you’re pretty good… but I’m… better!” He dragged his swords behind him and initiated another painfully slow advance. “You can’t… escape me…”

Several defectors rained all manner of projectiles down upon Vallsgärde. Crossbow bolts and arrows pierced his armor, and magic of all elements brought him to his knees. When he fell over, the others gathered around him and took turns stomping him into the dirt. They did not relent until he crumbled to dust.

“Well, that happened,” Lancer deadpanned.

Rouxls eyed the remains of Vallsgärde and shrugged. “Let us returneth to the castle.”

* * *

Meanwhile…

Helsing’s forces congregated just outside of Castle Town’s namesake castle. They had just broken down the castle gate and were pouring in after Helsing.

One of his troops spoke, “Sir, do you think the team at the castle was able to stop the Delta Warriors?”

“I would be surprised if they did,” Helsing stated. “They were mainly in place to slow them down and buy time for us to invade. They fulfilled their purpose, and that’s all I ask.”

“So they were just cannon fodder to you?”

“I wouldn’t use such blunt language, but I suppose that’s accurate.”

“That’s cold, man. That’s just heartless.”

Helsing stopped and turned to face him, his eyes blazing with fury. “I didn’t ask for your criticism. If I cared about anyone else’s opinions, _I would have asked._ ”

The soldier raised his hands defensively. “Okay, sir, just calm down. You’re getting real testy.”

Helsing’s tendrils flared out. “Excuse me for not tolerating insubordination during the most crucial moment of our operation. Now shut up and get in line, or I’ll kill you where you stand.”

“Alright, alright!” He went silent.

Helsing nodded and continued into the castle. He led his army to the dark fountain at its heart. They all looked upon it in awe, silently paying their respects to the dark world’s creator.

“The darkness will hold dominion at the end of our conquest,” Helsing declared. “We will consume the light world and remake it in our image – an image of immaculate dark. We are the Shadowborn, and we are the rightful heirs to the dark throne.”

Helsing reached into the fountain. A searing, agonizing pain racked his nerves as he drew power from it. He grit his teeth, clutching at the cluster of tendrils over his heart. When the pain subsided, he pulled his hand free, holding a small spark of the fountain’s power.

“This should keep our gear from transforming when we cross into the light world,” he said. “Stygian shadows, guide us.”

He crushed the spark in his hand, generating a bright flash that enveloped the room. When it cleared, an aura of darkness surrounded Helsing and his troops. Its intense, burning power was enough to make their skin crawl.

“Now, we go,” Helsing said. “Let no one resist you.”

A soldier suddenly burst into the room with a look of panic on her face. “Master Helsing, the Delta Warriors are here!”

“Already?” he seethed. “Goddamnit… Nothing changes. Everyone still stationed at Castle Town fights them off at all costs. The rest of us carry on with the invasion.”

“Excuse me, sir, but wouldn’t it be a better idea for all of us to fight the Delta Warriors before the invasion? It’d make everything—”

Helsing brought his scythe beneath her chin. “I’m sorry, but who’s the one in charge here?”

“Me. You left me in charge of the Castle Town force.”

He grabbed her by the collar and pulled her close, holding her mere inches from his face. “Don’t you dare act like a smartass to me. The plan doesn’t change.”

He shoved her back before continuing, “I better not hear about any of you retreating. You die fighting, or you die on the gallows. Do I make myself clear?”

She glared at him. “Yes, sir. Even though we don’t have any gallows…”

“I’ll build them myself. Now get to work!”

She shook her head and departed.

“Now, if there will be no further distractions…” Helsing approached the fountain, creating in image of his soul in his hand. It was upside down, dark gray in color, and heavily marred by his dark affliction – by his own maddened ambitions. Spindly tendrils emerged from a festering hole in its surface, coiling around it with a vise grip.

He turned to his troops. “Lightners require the strength of a human soul to travel between worlds. We, however, can come and go individually as we please. Hopefully, that’ll give us an advantage over the Delta Warriors.”

He took a moment to steel himself. This was the culmination of his schemes; his endgame. Total victory was so close, he could almost taste it.

“Let’s go.”

Helsing stepped into the fountain and quickly vanished from the dark world. His invasion force followed, rapidly pouring into the fountain by the dozens. Within seconds, the fountain chamber was empty.

Outside the castle, the streets of Castle Town were flooded with Shadowborn troops and defectors fighting to the death. The entire town had become a chaotic battleground within minutes. Vicious skirmishes took place upon blood- and dust-swept ground.

“Let’s go, boys!” Susie downed a swordsman with a fierce uppercut, then whacked another across the face with the shaft of her weapon. “This fountain belongs to you, so take back what’s yours!”

Ralsei weaved great firestorms that swept over large groups of Helsing’s soldiers. Asriel supplemented his assault with a rain of blazing stars that forced the Shadowborn to scatter. Even still, they continued to hit back just as hard.

Noelle worked to incapacitate them with a few well-placed crossbow bolts to the knees. Frisk shielded her from harm with her barrier magic. She experimented with a trick Ralsei showed her: discharging her barriers’ energy to send her foes reeling. She was quite pleased with her success rate.

“It figures that Helsing would dedicate a third of his army to defend the fountain,” Nerys ran her opponent through. “Get ready for a war of attrition.”

Ralsei stopped to heal Susie. “We can’t afford to spend too much time here. The longer we’re held up here, the more time Helsing has to lay waste to the light world.”

“If that son of a bitch has done anything to Hometown, I’ll beat him to death with his own leg!” Susie suplexed an approaching spearman.

“Weren’t we gonna do that anyway?” Asriel conjured his chaos sabers.

Susie grabbed a soldier by the wrists and swung him as a weapon to bring down another two. “Yeah, but I might have to go for both legs.”

Nerys parried an incoming blow and delivered a deadly counterattack. “Alright, let’s get you to that fountain. Stay close to me and keep moving.”

They began their advance toward the castle. Susie and Nerys spearheaded the charge, but even with support from the rest, they struggled to gain ground. For every soldier they defeated, two more took their place.

They soon came to a halt with a barrage of crossbow bolts came their way. Everyone ducked behind cover as several kinds of magical projectiles mixed with their conventional counterparts.

“Is there another way we can go?” Noelle hunkered down.

Nerys shook her head. “Even if there was, we’re completely pinned. They’d ventilate us as soon as we poked our heads out.”

A massive explosion shook the battlefield. Asriel peeked around the corner to see many of the soldiers suppressing them had been killed by the blast, and now a pair of mages were engaging the survivors.

“Looks like we’ve got an opportunity,” he pointed out.

“Alright, let’s move!” Nerys pointed to Ralsei and Frisk. “You two, barriers up front. You two,” she pointed to Asriel and Noelle, “hang back and give us covering fire. And you,” she gave Susie a grin, “let’s kick their asses.”

“Let’s do it.” Susie’s eyes flashed menacingly.

Ralsei and Frisk raised their barriers and stepped out into the open. The rest followed behind them in formation. The Shadowborn troops were still occupied with the two mages, which allowed the Fun Gang to easily blindside them. Their line was broken by the pincer attack.

Susie slammed a crossbowman’s face into the wall of the castle and left him where he fell. “Good shit, boys. Keep it going!”

They rushed into the castle, still fending off attackers from all sides. Ralsei was horrified by the sight of his castle in ruins, stained by blood and dust. He shook his head; it was just another thing Helsing would pay for.

They fought their way to the fountain chamber, and Nerys slammed the door shut behind her.

“Alright, hurry up and go!” she said, struggling to hold the door closed.

“You’re not coming with us?” Frisk looked back.

“I need to stay here and make sure we take Castle Town.” Heavy pounding on the other side of the door nearly knocked her off her feet. “Go!”

Frisk nodded hesitantly. The Fun Gang joined hands and stepped into the fountain just in time for the door to be broken down.

Nerys steadied herself, gripping her sword firmly. “Too late, you sons of bitches. Now, who wants to die first?”


	18. Hostile Takeover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Fun Gang returns to the light world just in time to witness Helsing's invasion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate to say this, but new chapters may start coming out slower than usual. I'm dealing with a bout of writer's block, and my new college semester just started. That being said, I will finish this story for sure. This I swear!

_“The longest night we ride / With a fire at our side_

_“The darkest night has come / With a fear we will succumb to_

_“The longest night we fight / With the darkness blurring sight_

_“The deepest night we run / Tomorrow waits the sun”_

_-‘The Longest Night’ by Dragony_

* * *

“What just happened?” Asriel wondered as he pulled himself up.

“We just returned to the light world,” Susie told him.

Frisk looked around in confusion. “Why are we in a classroom? I thought we went in through a closet.”

“For some reason, the fountain spits you out here,” Noelle explained.

Asriel shuddered slightly when he noticed an oddly troubling effigy made of plastic building blocks. “I don’t suppose there’s any chance that we just hallucinated all of that and none of it actually happened.”

Ralsei sighed. “Unfortunately, no. Helsing’s very real, and we need to stop him.”

Susie cracked her knuckles. “Well, I’m more than happy to split his skull open.” She reached for her halberd, only to remember that it no longer maintained its weapon form in the light world. In its place was a small hair clip.

“Okay, this is going to be a problem,” she noted.

“Well, that’s great,” Asriel said. “At least some of us can use magic. What about you and Noelle, though?”

“We’ll knock some dudes out and steal their weapons.”

“Wait, wouldn’t their weapons change form too?” Noelle spoke.

“Ah shit, you’re right…” Susie shrugged. “Well, that means we’ll both be throwing fists. Level playing field.”

Ralsei threw the door open. “Okay, let’s get moving. Stay close and be careful. Even if it is a level playing field, we’re still outnumbered.”

“We beat impossible odds before, so let’s just do it again,” Noelle said.

The group marched out through the front doors of the school. They were all horrified by the sight before them.

Night had fallen over Hometown, but it was quite unlike any night they had ever seen. The sky was pitch black, accented with dark blue and purple streaks that flowed like flames. The light of the stars was buried under the suffocating darkness. The moon offered the only visible light in the sky, and even it was being swallowed by the dark.

Things weren’t much better on the streets. Shadowborn troops prowled the streets in droves, all of them still clad in their black armor and brandishing weapons of all kinds. Some of them were escorting prisoners, while others were busy clearing out buildings and establishing temporary bases. Helsing himself was nowhere to be seen.

“Oh my God,” Frisk stared. “How did all this happen so fast?”

“Bastard works quickly, I’ll give him that,” Susie said.

“Disappears pretty quick, too,” Asriel added. “Where do you think he’d be?”

Frisk pointed off in the distance. “Maybe around there.”

She was pointing at what had become a familiar sight: a dark fountain, piercing the sky and spreading its dark influence. It was the limits of Hometown, but its exact location was indiscernible.

“He already created a fountain?” Ralsei was surprised. “That’s… really, really bad.”

“How bad are we talking?” Susie asked. “Like, Chara bad?”

“Around that level, yes. We don’t have a lot of time. We need to seal that fountain, or all of this,” he gestured toward the sky, “might become irreversible.”

“Well, we don’t want that. Let’s go punch Helsing’s lights out.” Susie began to march off.

Noelle stopped her. “Susie, he’s gotta have tons of people guarding something that important. We won’t be able to get anywhere near him on our own.”

“No one’s gonna be able to help us, though,” Asriel refuted. “He’s probably got the whole town in chains by now.”

“She’s got a point, Asriel,” Ralsei said. “Going at him right now would be suicidal. It’ll be a lot easier to find people who can help us.”

“Ralsei, this is just a small countryside town. I don’t think anyone’s going to be able to do much to an insane tyrant from another world.”

“Well, we can’t just let them stay in custody!”

“I know, but didn’t you say we need to seal that fountain right away?”

“If we head straight for the fountain, we’re dead.” Ralsei studied the sky closely. “Its corruption is still in an early phase, so we have a bit of time. I think the best thing we can do right now is find a safe place to hide out and come up with a plan there.”

“Why not right here?” Susie suggested.

As if on cue, a group of Shadowborn troops rounded the corner and caught sight of them.

One of them looked at another. “Weren’t you supposed to be watching the doors?”

“I thought you were watching the doors!”

“Yeah, the back doors! You were in charge of the front doors!”

Their conversation was interrupted when a large rock struck one of them in the head. He fell over and began nursing his injury while cursing to himself.

“You gonna fight us or not?” Susie threw another rock.

“Yeah, just stop throwing rocks at us!”

Susie gave a smug grin and threw another rock that hit him square in the face. A stream of fireballs from Ralsei followed. With their formation broken, Susie and Asriel rushed them down. Frisk followed behind them with a barrier raised.

Susie pummeled a halberdier into unconsciousness and claimed his weapon for herself. Asriel dueled his opponents with his chaos sabers. Ralsei burned them down with startling aggression.

The skirmish was over quickly, with the Shadowborn fully incapacitated.

“Okay, we can’t stay here,” Susie said. “Anybody got any other ideas?”

“We might be able to hide out at my dad’s flower shop,” Asriel suggested. “I can’t imagine they’d be interested in that.”

“He’s still keeping that in business? Did he finally start charging people money?”

“Kris and I talked him into it last year. Things have been going pretty well for him since then.”

“That’s good to hear. I’ve always thought you dad was a nice guy.”

“Guys, focus!” Ralsei urged. “Asriel, are you sure the flower shop is safe?”

Asriel shrugged. “I mean, I don’t think it would have any tactical significance. The only thing you’d find there is flowers. The only other place I can think of is that creepy set of doors, but I don’t think I want to know what’s behind them.”

Ralsei nodded. “Alright, let’s get moving. Let’s try not to attract too much attention.”

“Easier said than done,” Noelle said. “Kris was the only human that lived here, so Frisk is going to really stand out.”

“That’s an even bigger problem considering how important she is. Without her, we can’t seal the fountains, so Helsing’s going to want her dead more than any of us.”

“Lucky me,” Frisk sighed.

“We’ll keep you safe. We’ll all be fine as long as we don’t split up.”

“Alright. Let’s go.” Asriel gestured for everyone to follow him.

* * *

Later…

Helsing sat cross-legged before the dark fountain, deeply entranced by its twisted majesty. The makeshift chamber was silent, save for the faint buzzing of fluorescent lights and the ambient noise from the fountain itself.

The lightners were woefully unprepared for the invasion. It was almost like they never even knew of the dark world’s existence. Helsing almost pitied them after how quickly they capitulated.

“Yes, I know they were weak,” he said aloud. “I don’t doubt you for a second. But don’t you think it’s a little suspicious? A few police officers aren’t a defensive force. There’s something about this town that makes we wonder what’s going to come next…”

His tendrils tightened, sending a dull ache through his chest.

“I knew you would agree. Unless we know for sure that they’re dead and buried, we’re still not in the clear. Even if the human dies, any one of them could still potentially threaten my rule.”

He lowered his head and shut his eyes, releasing a deep breath.

“I’ll kill them myself if that’s what it takes.”

Several sets of footsteps roused him to attention. He stood and turned to face a squad of Shadowborn troops.

“You have news, I assume?”

“Yes, sir,” one of them spoke. “Card Castle has fallen. The whole defensive force is either in chains or in the ground. A few survivors showed up at Castle Town to inform us, and last we heard from them, the Delta Warriors themselves were spotted there.”

“They retreated from battle?” Helsing’s tone was one of pure contempt. “I thought I had made it clear that I have no patience for cowardice.”

“In their defense, sir, they were faced with overwhelming force, and there weren’t even ten of them. At least by retreating, they gave us useful information.”

Helsing sneered. “Either way, unless the Delta Warriors were stopped at Castle Town, we’re all in imminent danger. But, they’re already here in the light world, aren’t they?”

The soldier thought for a moment before answering, “There haven’t been any confirmed sightings, but we did find a group of our guys completely incapacitated by the school. It looks like the Delta Warriors’ handiwork.”

Helsing’s hands clenched into fists. He trembled with rage. He let out a deep sigh to calm himself.

“Okay, that’s fine,” he said, a troubling tranquility to his words.

“Um… really?” the soldier stepped back.

“Of course! This is completely okay. We’re only dealing with the greatest threat to everything we’ve worked for. Sure, they traipsed through our defenses nearly unimpeded, and now they’re wandering around wreaking havoc, but who cares?”

His tone became more deranged. “It’s not like they’re going to ruin everything, right? What’s the worst they could do? Seal the fountains, slaughter our forces, and kill me?” He laughed. “That’s not so bad, right? _Right?_ ”

The soldier chuckled nervously. “I think we’ll be going now. Get started hunting them down, you know?”

Helsing sighed and recomposed himself. “Yes, go. I expect results this time. Too many people have disappointed me. I have no more patience for anyone’s failures, and that includes yours.” He leaned in close to the soldier until their faces were mere inches apart. “Don’t let me down.”

The soldier stepped back and saluted. “Yes, sir. We’ll do everything we can.”

“Wasn’t that already expected from you?”

“Yes, but it’s more about the sentiment of the phrase.”

Helsing waved his hand dismissively. “Eh, whatever. Get going.”

The group left the fountain chamber, leaving him alone with his thoughts. He once again sat down in front of the fountain, ruminating on his current situation. He idly reached for his scythe and stared at his reflection in the blade.

His eyes were dark and discolored. Perpetual tears of darkness streamed down his face. His face was gaunt, his skin rough and leathery. His breath rattled past his lips as if he were barely alive. Truly, he looked like the shadow of death.

“No, I’m completely fine,” he told himself. “I know the darkness as well as I know myself. I could recognize if something was wrong.

“No need for assistance. I carry a blessing. It would be wrong to reject it. I can’t do that. I can’t.

“All I must do is plunge the world into dark. Dark, dark, dark…”

He muttered to himself in the empty chamber for several minutes. Despite his rapidly decaying sanity, he still clung to his one and only goal, his one purpose.

He cared not for what happened to him. He only wished to see a world covered in darkness.

“Darkness, dear darkness…”


	19. Rescue Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Fun Gang takes an emergency detour to ensure the safety of Asriel's parents.

_“But… Maybe, with what little power you have… You can save something else.”_

_-Undertale_

* * *

A group of royal guards slunk back into Card Castle, overtaken by exhaustion and nursing injuries. Cleansing the dark world of its malignant blight had proven to be a much more difficult undertaking than expected.

“Ah, ‘tis good to seeth thou,” Rouxls greeted them. “How goes thine efforts?”

One of the guards let out a heavy sigh. “We’re making progress, just pretty slowly. It took hours before the blight started clearing up. It took a few more hours to kill those freaks hanging around.”

“I’ve never seen something swallow so many bolts and arrows,” another added.

“But thou art able to cleareth the blight?” Rouxls said.

“Yeah. Soul power’s all you need, but goddamn is it exhausting. We’re gonna be at that for months.”

“And managing this without anyone succumbing to madness shalt be even hardere. But thankfully, the blight does not spreadeth. ‘Tis merely a test of endurance.”

“With regular breaks every few hours.” The guard leaned back in his seat. “I’ll take this over Helsing any day of the week.”

“I must remindeth thou that Helsing has not yet been defeated. Our battle prowess may still be needed.”

“You got the lightners on the case, don’t you? What do we have to worry about?”

Rouxls’ expression turned grim. “Helsing hath already killed one of them. If he manages to kill the human, Frisk, we will not haveth the ability to seal Helsing’s fountains. Nothing can be certain.”

“Well, shit, some of us should head out and give them a hand, right?”

Rouxls pondered this for a moment. “I supposeth the blight is not critically urgent. I shalt assemble a team at once.”

The guard nodded. “You think we’ve taken back Castle Town by now?”

“Perhaps. We will seeth sooner or later, regardless.”

A pair of soldiers suddenly burst into the room, breathing heavily. One of them collapsed to her knees in exhaustion.

The one still standing spoke between labored breaths, “Rouxls, shit’s fucked. We need reinforcements.”

Rouxls looked over their disheveled forms. “Did thou runneth all the way from Castle Town to here?”

“Uh-huh… It was all we could do to not get shot in the back. We’re getting killed out there. We’re still holding out, but we need help ASAP.”

“Not to worry,” Rouxls assured him. “Thou shalt have thine reinforcements, and then we shalt advanceth into the light world and aideth the heroes in their battle!”

“Good, great…” The soldier sunk to his knees and laid next to his comrade. “I’m just gonna… rest for a few minutes… if that’s okay with you.”

Within seconds, he was thoroughly passed out on the floor.

“Well then.” Rouxls mentally counted the troops still at his disposal. Eventually, he nodded to himself. “I will dispatch our forces to aideth the team at Castle Town. We will likely needeth everybody available, including you.”

One of the guards sighed dramatically. “Goody, more work.”

“There canst be no rest for us until we hath claimed victory. Visit a medic and recovere from thine fatigue. As soon as thou art ready, thou must headeth to Castle Town, post haste. Once Castle Town is ours once again, we can taketh the fight directly to Helsing.”

“Alright, you’re the boss.”

The guards stood to leave, dragging the two on the floor along with them.

When Rouxls was sure he was alone, he released a sigh and sat down. The stress of forming and leading a rebellion had worn him down considerably. Him constantly fearing for Lancer’s and the Fun Gang’s lives didn’t help matters at all.

But, victory was finally a realistic possibility. Though Helsing still commanded a formidable army, their numbers were at an all time low. Helsing himself was rapidly slipping into insanity, which had resulted in him making several poor decisions.

They were so close to bringing him down for good.

That was, if the Fun Gang was successful in their endeavors.

‘ _Be safe, heroes._ ’

* * *

Meanwhile…

“Just a little further,” Asriel beckoned his companions. They had spent the past twenty or so minutes creeping through the trees to evade Shadowborn patrols, and now stood beside the lake on the edge of Hometown.

A pair of soldiers was present there, currently engaged in conversation with the large onion-like creature that resided beneath the water’s surface. Neither of them showed any particular interest in the conversation, but they were unable to pull themselves away.

“Looks like it’s safe to move,” Ralsei said, gesturing for Asriel to lead the way. As they crossed the path, the onion creature took notice of them and opened his mouth to speak. Susie raised a finger to shush him with a menacing look in her eyes, and he stopped himself. She gave him a nod of approval before continuing on her way.

Asriel looked back at the lake and sighed sadly. “Kris always loved to come here to just sit and stare.”

“I would always come and sit with him.” Ralsei wiped a tear from his eye. “I still can’t believe I’ll never see him again…”

“Well, we’re gonna put Helsing in the ground so nothing like that happens again, so stay focused,” Susie said. “We’ll have plenty of time to mourn him once we’ve settled the score.”

“Right.”

“On another subject,” Frisk pointed to the onion creature, “where did that guy come from?”

Asriel shrugged. “He’s just always been there for some reason. I don’t think even he knows what he’s doing here.”

After a few more moments of walking, they arrived at Asgore’s flower shop. To their relief, there were no Shadowborn troops in sight.

“Are you sure we can use this as a defensible position?” Frisk asked, looking over the building. “It doesn’t look like it’ll stand up to an attack very well.”

“If everything goes well, they’ll never know we’re here to begin with,” Asriel said.

“Yeah, but how are we supposed to stay hidden if they’re all hunting us down?”

“C’mon, you think these guys understand the value of a nice floral arrangement? This’ll be the last place they look.”

“I hope you’re right…”

Asriel reached into his pocket and pulled out a simple key, which he used to open the door. The lock did not click.

“He didn’t lock the door…?” Suppressing his concern, he stepped inside. Everything appeared to be in order, with no signs of a struggle or any sort of sweep-and-clear procedure.

“Dad, where are you?” He went off to search for him, leaving the rest behind.

Frisk glanced over at her companions. “So, have we decided what we’re going to do with Helsing once we take him down?”

“Well, Asriel wants him dead, and I’m right there with him,” Susie said. “God knows he deserves it after all the shit he’s done.”

Frisk sighed. “I understand how you feel, but I don’t think I’m comfortable with the idea of killing a person… Even someone as bad as Helsing.”

“I don’t think I could do it, either,” Noelle said. “Chara was one thing, but he’s still alive.”

“You guys don’t have to kill him, then,” Susie brandished her reclaimed halberd. “We just have to kick his ass and let Asriel do the honors.”

“We’d still be helping him kill him, though,” Frisk retorted.

“It’s just an assist, not a kill. It doesn’t count unless you finish him off yourself.”

“I guess so… What about you, Ralsei? You’ve got a really personal stake in this, too.”

Ralsei lowered his head. “I don’t know. I don’t like hurting people, but if Helsing really is losing his mind, he might already be beyond saving.” His expression hardened. “And I’ll never forgive him for murdering Kris. But… I don’t think he would want me to kill him.”

“Trust me,” Susie said, “if you died and Kris lived, he’d kill Helsing without a second thought. He’d definitely never have the same restraint you do.”

Ralsei was silent for a moment. “Well, I guess we’ll decide what to do when the time comes.”

Eventually, Asriel returned. “I can’t find him anywhere. Where the hell is he?”

“You don’t think those Shadowborn guys took him, do you?” Frisk was worried.

“I doubt it. It doesn’t look like anyone else was here.”

“Well, he’s your dad. Where else would he be?” Susie said.

“The only other place I can think of is…” His face paled. “Oh fuck. I can’t believe I forgot about Mom. We need to go, now!”

He took off running, with everyone else following closely behind him.

“Asriel, slow down!” Ralsei urged. “You’ll get yourself killed!”

“I’m not letting those guys do anything to my parents!”

“Your dad’s got dad strength, I’m sure they’ll be fine for a bit!” Susie countered.

He paid no heed to her words continued running. Whether through sheer luck or superior evasion, they were able to avoid coming into contact with Helsing’s troops. They kept moving until the sound of a gunshot stopped them in their tracks.

“What the hell?” Frisk was confused. “They don’t have guns, do they?”

“They didn’t five minutes ago,” Susie said. “Let’s go see what that’s all about.”

It didn’t take long for them to arrive at Toriel’s house. A small group of Shadowborn soldiers was present, currently engaged in a standoff with Hometown’s (in)famous chief of police, Undyne. Asgore and Toriel stood behind her.

“Mom, Dad!” Asriel approached, only to have Undyne step in front of him.

“Stay back and let me handle this,” she urged.

One of the Shadowborn took notice of them. “There they are! Kill the human!”

They advanced toward them, but stepped back when Undyne fired a shot at the ground in front of them.

“I thought I told you to put the weapons down,” she snarled, gripping her pistol tightly.

One of them banged his sword against his shield. “Are we supposed to be intimidated?”

“ _Yes._ This is your last warning. Drop your weapons or I will open fire.”

“Go ahead, shoot. A lot of us have taken way worse than a bullet.”

Undyne granted his request and shot him repeatedly. Each bullet punched clean through his armor, and he dropped lifelessly to the ground, dissolving into dust.

She slid a new magazine into her weapon. “Anybody else?”

Unperturbed, the Shadowborn charged at her and the Fun Gang with their weapons raised. Frisk and Ralsei each raised a barrier to defend against them, while Asriel and Susie engaged them head-on. Undyne emptied her magazine into them before conjuring a magic spear.

Susie broke their formation in brutal fashion, opening them up to further attack from Asriel. Ralsei pacified each of them as they fell. Frisk took to defending Noelle, who was still unarmed.

Undyne was less merciful toward the invaders. The ones she didn’t fatally impale or gun down were viciously beaten into submission. After a thorough round of beatings from her and Susie, the surviving Shadowborn were quick to surrender.

“You guys are pretty good,” Undyne said as she handcuffed the invaders. “Any chance you know what these guys are doing here?”

“It’s a long story involving another world and a deranged tyrant,” Asriel said. “Basically, he wants to take over this world by flooding it with darkness.”

“Deranged tyrant, huh? Is he the guy with the fancy scythe and the weird tentacle hand?”

“You’ve seen him? Where’d he go?”

“Couldn’t tell you. I just spent the past twenty minutes trying to get people to safety and fighting for my life.”

“Did anybody else get hurt?” Ralsei asked.

“I saw these guys take some prisoners, but trying to break them out on my own was suicide.” She finished handcuffing one last Shadowborn troop and kicked him over.

She glanced as Susie and Noelle. “Your parents are already safe. If you’ll come with me, I’ll get you to safety, too.”

Ralsei shook his head. “We can’t. We have to stop their leader, and we’re the only ones that can do it.”

Undyne raised an eyebrow. “Really? You guys are gonna stop the deranged tyrant that’s trying to take over the world by yourselves?”

“It takes the power of a human soul to seal that dark fountain,” Frisk said. “And we never said we had to do it ourselves. We’ll take all the help we can get.”

“Well, I’d be pretty bad at my job if I let you get hurt. If you really need a human soul, I guess the best I can do is tag along.” She chuckled. “It’ll be nice to see some action, at least.”

“Welcome to the team, then,” Ralsei smiled. “We’re glad to have you.”

While they talked, Asriel turned his attention to his parents.

“Asriel!” Toriel immediately pulled him into a hug. “I am so glad to see you! You were gone so long… I thought something terrible happened to you.”

“What happened in that dark world?” Asgore questioned.

“Mom told you about that, huh?” Asriel pulled away from Toriel. “That false king we were trying to stop, Helsing - he made it here, and now he’s trying to ruin everything.

Toriel suddenly noticed somebody’s absence. “Wait, Asriel, where is Kris?”

Asriel froze. How was he going to tell her?

“He came with you, right?” Asgore was concerned. “Is he okay?”

Asriel let out a shaky breath and shook his head. “No… he—he’s not…”

Toriel could no longer conceal her worry. “What happened to Kris?”

“He…” he struggled to force back his tears. “Kris died. Helsing killed him.”

She was speechless for an agonizing moment. “No… he can’t be, he just can’t…”

He let his tears flow freely. “I’m sorry… I-it’s my fault. I couldn’t protect him, and now he’s gone…” He wiped his eyes. “He’s buried in the dark world. We couldn’t bring him back here.”

Toriel began to sob uncontrollably. Asriel pulled her into a comforting embrace. Asgore hugged them both, weeping silently. They cried together until Undyne spoke up.

“I hate to break up the moment, but we’re not safe here,” she said. “Come with me, I’ll take you to the police station. You’ll be safe there.”

Toriel nodded slowly, and everyone fell in line behind her.


	20. Reclamation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The heroes get to work undermining Helsing's forces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to take a minute to thank you all for your input on this story. It makes my day every time I see someone leave kudos or a comment. Thank you all!

_“Take back what’s yours.”_

_-Dishonored 2 tagline_

* * *

Hometown’s police station was heavily crowded. It was currently being used as one of the two sanctuaries for the town’s citizens, the other being the church. Currently, roughly one third of the town’s population was taking refuge at the police station. The atmosphere was one of oppressive fear; several people could only wonder when the Shadowborn invaders would kick down the door.

Undyne took a seat at an empty desk, letting out a heavy sigh. “As you can see, the whole town’s in a pretty bad place right now. The invaders still have a pretty good chunk of the town locked up. A lot of them are gathering around Mayor Holiday’s estate.”

“Do you think that’s where they’re holding everyone?” Frisk wondered.

“Probably. It’s a pretty defensible position, though, so pulling off any kind of prison break won’t be easy.”

“We have to do something about them,” Ralsei said. “We can’t just let them keep prisoners. Besides, we need to draw Helsing out somehow. A prison break seems like a good start.”

Undyne did a quick headcount. “If there’s only six of us, our chances are pretty horrible. They’ve got a full platoon over there. If you’ve got any ideas on how to handle this, I’d love to hear them.”

“Can’t you just bring some backup?” Susie asked.

“Nope. Everyone else is busy with their own assignments, and I don’t feel good about taking people away from the station. We need as many guards here as we can get.”

Ralsei sat down. “We’ve beaten worse odds before. Just give me a minute to think.”

Susie shrugged. “You’re better at planning than I am. I’m gonna go talk to my parents. Come get me when you’re ready.”

“I should probably talk to my parents, too,” Noelle said.

“Isn’t your dad still in the hospital?”

“Not anymore.” Noelle perked up. “He actually made a full recovery.”

“Hey, good news. I didn’t think they made that anymore.”

The two walked off.

Frisk sat down beside Ralsei. “Do you think this plan will work?”

“We have to make it work,” he said. “We have no idea where Helsing is right now. The only place I can think of is the dark fountain, but he probably has half his army over there. If we can do this, it’ll undermine their foothold in the town, and that’s something we really need right now.”

“Besides, doesn’t Susie want to destroy everything Helsing’s worked for before we take him down?” Asriel added.

“Let’s not forget the prisoners, you two…” Frisk said.

“We’re not, but everyone’s in danger until we get rid of Helsing, and he’s got a lot more to answer for.” He glanced over at his parents and sighed sadly.

Frisk nodded slowly, and the conversation ended. They sat in silence for a moment before Ralsei spoke up.

“Officer,” he said to Undyne, “did you get a good look at how the invaders are congregating at the estate?”

“Not really,” she said. “All I know is that there’s a lot of them, and the front gate is basically a death trap.”

“In that case, we’ll have to head over there so we can get a lay of the land. Once we know exactly what we’re dealing with, we’ll know how to beat them.”

“I’m guessing that means taking the stealthy approach?” Asriel said.

“Most likely. If anything the officer said is true, we won’t be able to lay siege to the place. If we sneak in, we can take them down one by one and turn it into a war of attrition. I think that’s the safest way to do this.”

“What do we do if we get caught?” Frisk asked.

“If that happens, hopefully we’ll have most of them handled, so we don’t get overwhelmed. If not, then… I don’t know. If worse comes to worst, I want you to run for your life and get to safety.”

“What about all of you?”

“Don’t worry about us. We can’t afford to lose you, Frisk. Without you, it won’t matter what happens to Helsing; as long as his fountains remain, he wins.”

“What are you talking about, now?” Susie had returned and was now leaning against the wall.

“We’re about to sneak into Mayor Holiday’s estate and clear out the Shadowborn hanging out there,” Asriel explained.

“We’re sneaking in? Alright, I think I can handle that. Will I get to hit someone with a cinder block?”

“We’re still not killing them, Susie,” Ralsei chastised.

“Well, if we’re doing silent takedowns, I think I could do with another weapon.” She grabbed her halberd. “This thing ain’t exactly subtle.”

“I’ll lend you a baton,” Undyne said. “I’ve got, like, eight of them in storage because I keep breaking them.”

“How do you keep breaking batons?”

“I get annoyed with people sometimes. I gotta vent somehow.”

“Yeah, I get that.”

“What about me?” Noelle asked. “I don’t have a weapon or any useful magic. How can I help?”

Undyne thought for a moment, then handed her a police radio. “We’ll find you a nice place to hide out, and you can warn us if someone’s in our blind spot.”

“Alright, I can do that.”

Asriel glanced over at everyone. “Is everyone ready to go? We should get to it right away.”

“Ready when you are,” Susie said. The rest of the group agreed with her.

“Alright, let’s head out.”

Asriel turned to leave, but was stopped by Toriel.

“Asriel, where do you think you’re going?” she said.

“We’re going to release the prisoners the invaders took and bait their leader out.”

“Oh, no you’re not.” Her voice was stern, but filled with concern.

“We’re gonna be fine, Mom.” He didn’t fully believe that, but he wanted to reassure her.

“Asriel, no. I have already lost Kris… I cannot stand the thought of losing you, too. Please, don’t risk your life like this.”

Asriel sighed. “I’m sorry, Mom, but we have to do this. They’ll kill us all if we don’t do something.”

“Surely there’s less dangerous way to do this?” Asgore said. “Some way you won’t have to put yourself in danger?”

“I wish there was… I really do. But nobody else can stop Helsing.”

“We saved the world before, and we’ll do it again,” Susie proudly proclaimed.

“That’s what you said last time,” Toriel reminded, “and look at what happened.”

“We know how to fight him now,” Asriel said. “He got us once, but he won’t beat us again. I wish we didn’t have to do this, but we do. It has to be us.”

Toriel was silent for a moment while she wiped away her tears. Eventually, she spoke, “I know. You are far more capable than anyone else, but… you are all that I have left. Please, be careful.”

He pulled her into a hug. “I’ll be alright. When we come back, we’ll be one step closer to getting rid of these guys.”

“I have faith in you.” She pulled back. “Good luck, my child.”

“Alright, let’s get moving,” Undyne said. “The sooner we get this done, the better.”

One by one, the members of the Fun Gang left the building. They were steeled for war, and unwavering in their resolve.

Before she left, Undyne spoke to Toriel, “Don’t worry. I’ll keep them safe.”

She smiled. “Thank you, officer.”

* * *

The group gathered atop a small hill outside of Mayor Holiday’s estate and assessed the sight before them. Shadowborn troops patrolled around the front yard, with a pair of crossbowmen watching from the second-floor balcony. There were guards posted at every entrance.

“Well, they sure settled in nicely,” Susie commented.

“I hope they didn’t ruin anything,” Noelle said. “Or steal anything.”

“If they did, I’ll beat their asses.”

“Weren’t you already going to do that?”

“I’ll do it again.”

Ralsei stood up. “We should get to work. Noelle, do you have a good view from here?”

Noelle nodded. “Yeah, I think so.” She turned to Undyne. “Are we connected?”

“Yep. We’re all ready to go.”

“Then let’s get to it,” Asriel said, beckoning his companions. They descended to the estate, finding their way in through a conveniently sized gap in the metal fence. They soon encountered a lone soldier who was currently meandering about aimlessly.

“I got this guy.” Undyne readied an expandable baton and clubbed him over the head a few times before throwing him to the ground. Ralsei stepped up and pacified him.

“Doesn’t that count as excessive force?” he asked.

“These guys stormed in out of nowhere and started attacking people. I don’t think excessive force applies here.”

“I guess. Please be careful, though. I’d rather get through this without having to kill anyone.”

“You don’t have to, but I’m not hesitating if I have to.”

Noelle’s voice crackled through Undyne’s radio, “On your left.”

“I’ll take him,” Susie said. She waited for the guard to approach, and delivered a right cross that floored him. Ralsei pacified him as well.

Asriel grabbed another soldier from behind and shocked him into unconsciousness. Susie banged her halberd against the fence to attract more Shadowborn troops to her location, then proceeded to beat them into submission with Undyne’s assistance. Frisk made use of her barriers to throw them off balance and leave them open to attack. All the while, Ralsei pacified anyone who fell. This went on for several minutes, with the Shadowborn seemingly oblivious to it all.

Frisk glanced at the pile of unconscious Shadowborn troops that was steadily accumulating. “This is actually going pretty well. I was expecting hell on earth.”

“It helps that these guys are about as competent as the enemies in a stealth game,” Susie remarked. “You know, the kind of guys that forget about you just because you put a cardboard box over your head.”

“Would you rather have them be good at their jobs?”

“Oh, absolutely not.”

Undyne crept up behind another soldier and deftly dispatched him with her baton. Ralsei took up a position beside her and pacified him.

“Guys, there’s someone right behind you,” Noelle warned.

They quickly ran for cover. Ralsei, however, tripped over the unconscious body at his feet and fell down right in the open.

“Who the hell are you?” the soldier behind him approached. As soon as she got a good look at him, she flashed a malicious grin. “Oh, how nice of you to join us.”

“Nice going, Ralsei,” Susie sighed. He shot a glare in her direction as a response.

“Well, if you brought friends, then surely you won’t mind if I bring in some of mine.” The soldier conjured a small orb in her hand and crushed it to pieces, releasing a loud, resonant ringing sound. In short order, the remaining Shadowborn troops rushed to action.

She did a quick headcount. In total, there were less than two dozen of them.

“Wait, that’s it? There were over a hundred of us here. Where’d they all go?”

Susie gestured to the massive pile of unconscious soldiers, stacked nearly to the height of the fence.

“How long were you here?”

“I don’t know, thirty minutes?” Susie shrugged. “It was actually pretty easy.”

The soldier groaned. “It won’t be easy anymore, I can tell you that.” She took a step back when Undyne brought a spear to her neck, pointing her pistol at her.

“Yeah, whatever you say,” she drawled. “Are you gonna give up or not?”

The soldier laughed. “I’m insulted that you think I would. Attack!”

Before she could make a move, Undyne drove her spear into her throat and opened fire, leaving her where she fell. Susie employed the baton she was given, and engaged the remaining Shadowborn troops head-on. Asriel dueled them with his chaos sabers, and Ralsei cast sweeping flames over the field.

Frisk, meanwhile, was flirting.

“Come on, now, we don’t need to fight.” She sauntered up to one of the soldiers, brushing a stand of hair from her face. “You’re above this, and you know it. Why don’t we just put our differences aside and make up?”

The soldier lowered her weapon in confusion. “Can we really ‘make up’ if we were never friends in the first place?”

“Oh, it’s all semantics. My point is, why bother fighting like this when we could all be friends?” She put her hands behind her back and flashed a smile. “Or maybe… more than that?”

“You’re making me really uncomfortable, you know.”

Frisk’s smile disappeared. “Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to do that. I was just trying to convince you to surrender before we have to hurt you.”

The soldier chuckled. “Listen, kid, I’ve been in proper battles before. You guys couldn’t hurt me if you tried.”

“Are you sure about that?” Susie kneed her in the back whacked her over the head. Ralsei stepped up to pacify her.

The skirmish was over quickly. Undyne subdued the last of the Shadowborn with an unnecessary suplex and allowed Ralsei to pacify him.

“I thought these guys were supposed to be tough,” she remarked.

“It’s only going to get harder from here,” Ralsei said. “As soon as Helsing catches on to what happened, he’ll be right on us.”

“Isn’t that why we did this in the first place?” Susie said.

“Well, yes, but we need to be mindful of the danger associated with it.”

“Yeah, but we’ll burn that bridge when we come to it. Why don’t we release these prisoners already?”

Ralsei sighed, but nodded. “Right. One thing at a time…”


	21. Darker and Darker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rouxls' resistance force battles with Helsing's army for control of Castle Town.

_“Don’t be afraid of what you might regret / Stand by your men until the enemy’s dead_

_“Clash your sword and go for the win / Follow me down into the shadow of the mountain”_

_-‘Shadow of the Mountain’ by Grailknights_

* * *

The battle for Castle Town raged on. Swordsmen clashed with one another. Crossbowmen traded shots from sniper nests all throughout the town. Mages on both sides dominated the battlefield with brilliant and deadly displays of magic. The streets were stained with many colors of blood and swept with the dust of the fallen.

Though it was initially an even fight, the Shadowborn had slowly tilted the battle in their favor. The army of defectors had suffered severe losses of their leadership. Most of their field commanders were either incapacitated or dead, their higher ranking troops were falling one by one, and Captain Nerys was nowhere to be seen.

The Shadowborn, meanwhile, had deeply entrenched themselves in the town. Even with their diminished numbers, they held a decisive advantage over the defectors. A seemingly endless stream of Shadowborn troops poured forth from every building under their control.

Despite this, the defectors had gained significant ground against them. At least half the town had been reclaimed, but the Shadowborn guarding the castle approach proved to be particularly troublesome.

A crossbowman fired a shot at an approaching foe. One of his allies took the opportunity to slide into cover beside him.

“So, what’s the word?” The crossbowman locked a new bolt in place.

“We’re throwing ourselves right at their most fortified line,” his ally explained. “We’ll be trapped in a deadlock if we keep this up. If we flank around to the east, there’s a weak point in their formation.”

“Time to pivot, then.” The crossbowman addressed the rest of his squad, “Everyone flank to the east! We’re gonna blindside these bastards!”

A six-armed Shadowborn mage blinked into position beside him. “Are you sure about that?”

She unleashed a blast of magic power that sent several defectors to the ground. She conjured a series of ethereal blades over each of them. Most of them were able to roll out of the way before they plunged downward.

A halberdier swung his weapon at the mage, severing a pair of her arms. A swordswoman ran her through from behind, and a crossbow bolt to the forehead finished her off.

The halberdier took up a position among his comrades. “How do you suppose we hit their weak point without drawing too much attention to ourselves?”

The squad leader looked over at the rest of the defectors’ fighting force, currently engaged in their own respective skirmishes. They were holding their own against the Shadowborn, but there weren’t enough of them to gain any significant ground. Their line held, but they were in imminent danger of being pushed back.

The squad leader sighed. “If we had more manpower to keep them busy, we could handle this no problem. Didn’t we already send for reinforcements?”

“Yes, sir,” a crossbowman said. “The two we sent haven’t returned yet, but I think they got away without running into trouble.”

The squad leader sent a wave of flames at a cluster of Shadowborn troops. “God, I hope so. If we don’t get help, we won’t last much longer.”

The crossbowman took a potshot at an enemy sniper. “Well, then we need to hurry up and blindside them before everything goes to hell.”

“We’re seriously outgunned here. If we charged their flanks now, we’d probably be throwing ourselves into a meat grinder.” He took another look at the battlefield. Both sides were still locked in a stalemate, with soldiers falling left and right. No ground was gained or lost.

He shook his head. “But, I guess dying in a heroic charge beats dying in a deadlock.” He raised his sword overhead. “Let’s do this! Rush them down and kill them all!”

With a valiant war cry, they charged forth. The squad’s few remaining mages formed a line of magic barriers to defend against the sniper nests. The rest of them struggled to fight off a series of Shadowborn troops wielding all manner of weaponry. A few of them were cut down in the process.

They continued their advance, ignoring their losses and taking every opportunity to disrupt the Shadowborn formation. Their advance came to a grinding halt when the Shadowborn formed a phalanx. The defectors quickly found themselves caught between a veritable wall and an encroaching legion of swordsmen.

“Damnit… what now?” one of the defectors tightened his grip on his weapon.

“Keep fighting!” The squad leader enwreathed his sword in flames and engaged his opponents.

The defectors fought off attackers from all directions. The phalanx forced them to retreat until they were caught in a crossfire from a pair of sniper nests. The Shadowborn’s melee fighters continued their assault. They began to overwhelm the defectors.

Within minutes, the squad had been thoroughly devastated. Less than ten of them remained, and many of them were on the edge of death. Still, they fought until they succumbed to their wounds. Only a few of them were able to bring their opponents down with them. Soon, only the squad leader remained.

“You people don’t know when to quit, do you?” one of the Shadowborn remarked. “What did you expect to happen after you betrayed us?”

“Well, I was kinda hoping you’d realize you’re fighting for the wrong side.” The two locked blades. The other Shadowborn troops attacked their opponent from behind, bringing him down without much difficulty.

“I think you’re the one on the wrong side, friend,” the soldier said, bringing his blade to the squad leader’s neck. “Any last words?”

The squad leader wiped the blood from his face. “I hope you know you won’t stop our rebellion by killing me.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that. We stomp you out, and the rest will follow.”

“I’m not the one behind this whole operation. You’d only be taking out one squad out of fifty-something.”

The soldier looked around himself briefly, suddenly remembering that there were still several defectors to deal with. He shrugged. “Eh, I’d rather deal with fifty-something, minus one.”

He thrust his sword into the squad leader’s neck and tore it free, leaving him to bleed out. He turned his focus to his remaining foes and menacingly brandished his weapon.

A sudden burst of magic energy from behind sent most of the soldiers forming the phalanx flying. Before any of them could recover, they were executed by a series of crossbow bolts fired with ruthless precision.

Additional defectors rappelled up the cliffside in droves and immediately rushed the Shadowborn troops. Their defensive force capitulated under their assault, until they were soon forced to retreat.

“I was never told to expect dudes coming up the cliff!” one of the Shadowborn shouted, desperately firing back at their latest threat.

A soldier bearing a dagger faded into sight behind her. “Why do you think we came that way?” He buried his dagger into her chest hilt deep and left her to fall.

The defectors made short work of their foes. They came to the aid of their allies, blindsiding the Shadowborn posted outside the castle. The Shadowborn were thrown into disarray as they divided their focus. Being caught in a pincer attack, there was little they could do to fight back.

After breaking their line at the castle, the defectors patrolled outside to root out the few Shadowborn that remained. Most of them chose to surrender, and the few that kept fighting were easily rebuked.

“I think we’ve got the town secured,” one of the defectors breathed a sigh of relief. “We’d be dead if it weren’t for you guys.”

The captain of the second group looked over the battlefield and shrugged. “I wish we had gotten here sooner. Looks like this was a serious struggle.”

“Better late than never. Now, let’s take the castle.”

The castle gates were wide open, and there was no Shadowborn presence inside. The defectors spread out through the castle and established themselves.

They entered the fountain chamber, and were taken aback by what they saw. Slumped against the wall was Captain Nerys, clutching at a bleeding chest wound. Her sword lay broken beside her, its pieces scorched and bloodstained. A thick layer of dust covered the floor, along with several kinds of discarded weapons.

“Nerys!” One of the defectors rushed to her side. “What the hell happened here?”

Nerys took in a rasping breath. “I got the Delta Warriors through the fountain… Then I got to deal with Helsing’s boys. All eight million of them.”

“Shit… come on, we’ll get you back to Card Castle.”

“No…” Nerys’ hand went to her mouth as she coughed violently, spitting up blood. “I’m a lost cause. You should… you should go through and help the Delta Warriors. You… you secured the town, right?”

“Yeah, we did…” The soldier placed a hand on her shoulder. “But how are we supposed to help them? I thought I heard Helsing say your equipment changes when you go through the fountain.”

“Yeah, that’s right…” Nerys pulled herself to her feet, leaning heavily against the wall. “The last one who came at me, I gave him an interrogation…” She limped toward the fountain, wincing with every step. “He said Helsing cast some kind of spell… He used power from the dark fountain.”

She stood before the fountain, her legs nearly giving out on her. She took a moment to look upon it in awe.

“Maybe I can do something similar.”

“Nerys, wait—”

She paid him no heed and reached into the fountain. Intense, searing pain surged through her body, eliciting an agonized scream. She sank to her knees, but did not falter. She slammed her bloodied fist into the floor, and with a final cry of pain, she pulled her hand free, clutching a spark of the fountain’s power.

Wordlessly, she held the spark high and crushed it in her hand, filling the room with a bright flash. When it cleared, each of the defectors carried an aura of writhing darkness.

“There…” Nerys’ breath faintly rattled past her lips. She collapsed into a heap on the floor. “Go… help the Delta Warriors… and kill Helsing for me.”

With that, her body dissolved into dust.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the light world…

“Unbelievable. Un-fucking-believable!” Helsing threw a punch and dented the concrete wall. He withdrew his hand and shrieked in pain.

The messenger retreated in fear. “Sir, please calm down—”

“Calm down? _Calm down?_!” Helsing’s tendrils flared out. “The single largest congregation of our forces just got completely swept by the Delta Warriors, all of our prisoners have broken free, and now we’re the ones on the defensive, and you’re telling me to calm down?”

The messenger fought to suppress the urge to take off running. “Sir, I understand the magnitude of this situation, I really think taking a minute to collect your thoughts would be for the best. Blind rage doesn’t make for the best plans, after all.” Her voice shook as she spoke.

“I didn’t ask for your input!” His hands tightened into trembling fists. He heaved a heavy sigh. “The Delta Warriors won’t stop here. They’ll come for me next, and they’ll ruin everything, just like they always do. We can’t afford to wait for them. We need to hit them back twice as hard.

“Head out and gather my troops. I want all hands on deck for this. I’ll lead them into battle myself. I want to mount the human’s head on a stake myself.”

The messenger raised a hand to speak. “Not to question your judgment, sir, but I think that’s exactly what they want. Perhaps this was all a plan to bring you out into a trap.”

Helsing waved his hand dismissively. “Let them think they have an advantage. They’re fools, all of them. They’ll probably be expecting me and only me. So, I’ll come at them with an army… or whatever’s left.”

“Sir, you really shouldn’t go after them. You’d just be putting yourself at risk for no reason. Your forces are competent enough to handle the Delta Warriors on their own.”

Helsing’s icy glare met her eyes. “Really? If that’s the case, then how did they wipe out the battalion I sent to destroy them? How did they take Card Castle?” Fury crept into his voice. “How did they make it through the Castle Town force and get back to the light world? And how did they bring down over a hundred of my troops in one afternoon?”

The messenger stepped back, raising her hands defensively.

Helsing continued, “You’ll notice we didn’t even slow down the Delta Warriors until I took matters into my own hands.” His eyes turned a mottled white color. “I’m the one that killed their leader. My troops fall all over themselves because one of them is good at flirting. Does that sound like competence to you?”

“I don’t— I don’t think I can… I don’t think—” she stammered.

He pulled her closer. “ _No, it doesn’t_. You shouldn’t have to think about this at all. It’s fucking pathetic. If I’m not out there _babysitting my army of trained soldiers_ , they’re worth as much as a glass of water on the sun.”

He shoved her back with enough force to knock her to the ground.

“Go, gather my troops and bring them here. I don’t want to hear another word of complaint out of you. Understood?”

She stood and dusted herself off. “Understood, sir.”

She wasted no time in leaving him alone with his twisted thoughts.


	22. Hunted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Helsing and the boys begin their hunt for the Fun Gang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay between updates. I've got a lot going on right now. Hopefully I'll be able to get chapters out faster soon.

_“God’s on holiday. Somebody else is gonna have to sort ‘em out today.”_

_-Northernlion_

* * *

Helsing slithered though the shadows at breakneck speed, with his remaining troops following closely behind. There were barely even fifty of them; a skeleton crew compared to his army’s former glory. They restlessly prowled about the streets of Hometown in search of the Fun Gang.

“Sir, I know this is urgent,” one of his soldiers panted, “but can you please slow down? We can barely keep up.”

“No, I cannot slow down,” he repeated in a mocking tone. “The Delta Warriors have made us look like fools from the very beginning. I’m pretty damn sick of it, and I’m sick of everyone’s complaining, too. So shut your mouth.”

“Yes, sir…”

They carried forth until they approached the police station, at which point Helsing came to a halt and reformed. He directed his troops’ attention to the window, where the Fun Gang could clearly be seen. They were blissfully unaware of their presence.

“Form up behind the building,” Helsing commanded. “On my signal, move in and attack. Separate them from each other. Unity is their greatest strength, so stop at nothing to isolate them.”

He once again took to the shadows, darting forth and ascending to the roof of the building. His soldiers followed their orders, congregating around the building with their weapons at the ready.

Helsing’s grip on his scythe tightened. His soul stirred in anticipation – it felt as if it were about to tear itself from his chest. Certain victory was at his fingertips; with a singular strike, he would slay the human and take his rightful place as the ruler of the new world – a world he paved himself.

‘ _No one can stop me._ No one.’

Down below, the Fun Gang stepped outside, with Undyne still accompanying them.

“Alright, Ralsei, what next?” Susie brandished her halberd. “I’m guessing we’re not just gonna wait around for Helsing to show up.”

“Definitely not,” Ralsei said. “Now, we start hunting him down. If we don’t find him soon, then we keep knocking out any of his soldiers we find. Eventually, he’ll have no choice but to show up.”

“Sounds good to me. Let’s go!”

“Hold on,” Frisk stopped her. “Is it just me, or do the shadows here look a little darker than usual?”

Asriel studied the shadows closely. “Now that you mention it, they really do.”

“What do you think that means?” Noelle asked.

Frisk looked in every direction. “I think it means Helsing’s already here.”

“Brilliant deduction,” Helsing spoke.

They barely had any time to react before Helsing leapt from the roof, slamming his scythe into the ground. A torrent of black flames billowed around him as he stood upright.

“You really are very impressive,” he said, smirking as his troops encircled them. “After everything you’ve done to undermine me, you’re still alive and well, coming after me.” He pointed his scythe at Frisk. “I should’ve killed you when I killed the other human. Kris, I think was his name?”

Susie bared her teeth. “Don’t you dare say his name, you son of a bitch.”

Helsing laughed humorlessly. “After cutting him down, I think I’ve earned the right to speak about him however I wish.”

“Not as long as I’m still breathing.”

“Well, that’s an easy problem to handle.”

Helsing rushed forward, dragging his scythe along the ground and leaving a trail of dark flames in his wake. As he closed the gap between him and Susie, he swung upwards, narrowly missing her as she stepped to the side.

She wound up a counterattack, only to be knocked off balance by one of his troops coming at her with a sword. Several more surrounded her within seconds. She swung at them with the handle of her weapon, knocking a few of them aside. The rest of them attacked from all angles, and were soon threatening to overwhelm her.

Nonetheless, she endured their blows and hit back just as hard. Glancing slashes that cut her skin, heavy bludgeoning strikes, even crossbow bolts and magical projectiles – she powered through them all. Soon, however, her movements began to grow sluggish and labored.

A Shadowborn soldier thrust his sword into Susie’s abdomen, causing her to collapse to her knees. He stood over her triumphantly, raising his sword overhead to finish her off. He fell and died when Undyne fired several shots into his back.

Ralsei fought through the crowd to reach Susie, repelling her attackers with a veritable wall of flame. He cast a healing spell on her and helped her stand. The Shadowborn soon reoriented themselves, and surrounded the two.

Asriel fought through the legions surrounding him with a ceaseless magical assault. Sparks of multicolored lightning surged throughout the crowd. Blazing stars rained down from the skies. He dueled anyone that came close with his chaos sabers.

Noelle, meanwhile, was still unarmed. She hid behind Asriel whenever possible, desperately searching for anything with which to defend herself. Eventually, Asriel knocked a crossbowman’s weapon from his hands, which Noelle wasted no time in taking for herself. She also helped herself to the few stray quivers lying on the ground.

Helsing himself gave Frisk no amount of breathing room. He attacked her relentlessly, slashing at her with his scythe and employing the writing tendrils that had all but consumed his left hand. It was all she could do to dodge; her barriers couldn’t withstand the force of a single blow.

Undyne dedicated her every effort to protecting Frisk. She dueled Helsing with her spears, but he tended to ignore her in favor of targeting Frisk. Every so often, he would stop to rebuke Undyne’s assault and force her back into the crowd of his soldiers.

With a single strike, Helsing split one of her spears in half. “You need to learn your place. My quarrel is with the human, not with you.” He kicked her in the chest. “I suggest you stay out of my way, because I have no problem killing you.”

“Gonna have to pass on that.” She unleashed a storm of spears in his direction. “As soon as you start involving innocent people, it becomes my business!”

“Innocent?” Helsing laughed. “You lightners abandoned us, left us to rot in the dark! You have a lot of nerve calling yourselves innocent!”

Undyne parried an incoming attack from a Shadowborn troop and shot him dead. “You know I’ve never heard of you before, right? What do you call yourselves, darkners?”

Helsing gave her a vicious glare. “I should’ve known abandoning us in the darkness wasn’t enough for you. You even went as far as to forget about us completely.”

She took aim at him. He dissolved into the shadows, reemerging inches away from her and slashing at her arm. Her pistol flew from her hand, clattering to the ground. He skittered to the side, slicing the pistol in half as he moved.

Susie slammed a Shadowborn troop face first into the pavement. “Ralsei, we’re getting killed here!” Another soldier slashed her across the face, and she retaliated by hitting him in the leg with her halberd. “We’re not gonna last too much longer like this!”

“I think you’re right.” Ralsei cast a healing spell on her, raising a defensive barrier. “There’s too many of them. We’ll never beat them if they keep us apart like this.” He ducked under an incoming attack and countered with a blast of fire.

“So, what’s the plan?” She struck another troop with a right hook to the face.

“I think we need to retreat. Split up, and regroup somewhere else.”

“Really? You know that’s how people die, right?”

He sent a wave of flames at his attackers. “I know that, but I don’t think we have another choice. Besides, we’re already separated as it is. I don’t think we’re breaking through their lines anytime soon.”

A soldier bashed Susie with his shield, and she forced him back. “Alright, fine. If you think it’ll work out, I’ll trust you.”

Ralsei nodded. “Everyone retreat! Split up and run, and we’ll regroup later!”

Helsing laughed maniacally. “Yes, go ahead. Run away. _Cower._ Wherever you hide, I’ll find you.”

Susie threw a rock at him. “Dude, we get it. You’re dark and edgy. Give it a rest.”

He glowered at her. “I ought to kill you first, you wretch.”

“I thought you wanted Frisk first.”

“Shut up! I don’t remember asking for your criticism.”

“No, but I’ll offer it anyway because it makes you upset.” She punched one of the Shadowborn troops in the jaw, before swinging his body at his comrades to knock them to the ground. “For the record, whenever you get mad, that just means I’m winning.”

Helsing’s grip on his scythe trembled. “I’ll take great pleasure in killing you.” He shifted his gaze to Frisk. “Almost as much as killing you.”

Frisk glared back in defiance. “I’m not afraid of you.”

“You should be.”

Undyne grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her back as Helsing brought his scythe down. “Follow my lead. I’ll keep you safe,” she told Frisk.

Undyne threw a series of spears at the soldiers surrounding them, causing a few to scatter. She and Frisk took off running through the newly formed gap in their line. Frisk raised a barrier to cover their escape, while Undyne continued bombarding their opponents with yet more spears.

Helsing’s eyes flashed white. “Get them! I want their heads on a plate!”

A rock struck him in the back, and he whirled around to see Susie waving at him with a crooked grin. She and Ralsei had already slipped past his soldiers, and were swiftly retreating.

“Pursue them, too!” he growled. “Kill the hellion first.”

“For fuck’s sake, does anyone have a different insult?” Susie remarked. “Have some goddamn originality!”

Helsing narrowed his eyes. “Kill her slowly.”

Noelle shot him in the back while Asriel cleared a path for them to retreat. Helsing watched them depart, his eyes darting back and forth between the three groups that had so easily escaped his grasp.

He could contain his anger no longer. He let out a guttural, almost primal scream of rage.

“You are not fighting like Shadowborn, people! In case you’ve forgotten, _we do not have any room for error._ And you just let the Delta Warriors walk away without a fight! Is it time already to cull the ranks?”

He slammed the snath of his scythe into the ground, producing a loud, sonorous _thud_.

“Fan out! Do not return until the Delta Warriors lie dead at your feet. I’ll accompany you on the hunt for the human, because I clearly can’t trust any of you to do anything but disappoint me.”

Out of shame or intimidation, the Shadowborn followed orders and charged after their targets. Helsing himself dissolved into the shadows and ventured forth.

* * *

“Ralsei, did you hear that baby rage?” Susie laughed. “He really is losing it, huh?”

“Clearly,” Ralsei agreed. “All the more reason to stop him.”

“How hard can that be if I’m tilting him so easily?”

“Remember that he killed Kris,” he chided. “Anything could happen, so we need to be careful, no matter how many temper tantrums he throws. If anything, I think him being so unstable is a reason to be more careful.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.”

They stopped in their tracks when a band of Shadowborn troops appeared before them. Behind them, more troops moved in to surround them. There were slightly over a dozen of them in total.

“Well, isn’t this lovely…” Susie brandished her halberd. “Looks like we gotta throw down.”

Ralsei took up a position behind her, flames burning in his hands. “Let’s do it.”

* * *

A crossbow bolt whizzed through the air, striking Noelle in the leg. She let out a scream of pain as she collapsed to the ground.

“Oh, fuck!” Asriel pulled her up, throwing her arm around his shoulder. “Are you okay?”

“No, I don’t think I can walk…” she winced.

“Damnit…” He called down a rain of blazing stars upon their attackers, maintaining the attack until a dull ache manifested at the base of his skull. While the Shadowborn were reorienting themselves, he took off running with Noelle in tow.

They ducked into an alleyway, where he set her down on the ground. He looked over the bolt that was still stuck in her leg and let out a sigh.

“Try not to move around too much,” he advised. “Just keep your head down and let me handle those guys.”

“You can’t take them all on by yourself!”

“And you’re in no shape to fight. Just stay down, please. I can’t let anyone else die.”

Before she could protest further, the Shadowborn arrived at their location. Lightning crackled in Asriel’s hands as he stood up to challenge them.

* * *

Frisk raised a barrier to defend against the approaching Shadowborn. Maintaining a solid defense had proven to be a physically exhausting task; it took a great deal of effort to create a barrier that could withstand their merciless assault.

Undyne returned fire with her spears, but found limited success. The Shadowborn suffered minimal losses as they continued their inexorable approach. Curiously, Helsing himself was nowhere to be seen.

“Frisk, you doing alright?” Undyne tossed another spear.

“I-I think so,” she replied, breathing a bit heavier than normal.

“Stay on the lookout for that Helsing guy. He could be right around the corner for all we know.”

“Close enough,” Helsing’s voice came from the shadows. He darted into the open, leaving a trail of black flames in his wake. He glared daggers at Frisk and Undyne, waving his scythe menacingly.

“This time, human, I won’t make the mistake of letting you live.”


	23. Fight for your Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Fun Gang fights to reunite against Helsing.

_“Current objective: Survive.”_

_-Halo: Reach_

* * *

Ralsei clapped his hands together, sending a wave of flames billowing outwards. He whirled in all directions, tossing flaming projectiles at any attackers who approached. Susie followed up with a few heavy strikes of her own.

“I don’t know if you noticed,” she punched a Shadowborn troop hard enough to crack his helmet, “but we kinda have better things to do than mess around with you.”

A mage conjured a series of solid stone spikes from the earth. “We care not for your plans. On our loyalty to the dark, you shall not harm Master Helsing.”

She cleaved the spikes in twain. “You’re seriously still loyal to that freak? Hasn’t he been doing nothing but disrespecting you?”

The mage fortified his own armor with stone. “Some of his remarks have been hurtful, yes, but nonetheless, we shall not forsake our duties.”

“It’d be real nice if you did, though.” She attacked the mage, only to have her weapon bounce harmlessly off of his stone armor. She prepared a followup attack, but was repelled when the mage struck her with a wall of solid rock.

Another soldier stepped up to duel her. They traded blows until yet another plunged a spear into her back. The two surrounded her and continued attacking. She fended them off to the best of her ability. Ralsei sprayed one down with a stream of flames, forcing him to raise his shield in defense.

Susie whacked her other attacker with the hilt of her weapon and kicked him to the ground. She spun around, grabbed the spearman by the collar, and delivered a punch to the kidney. Ralsei pacified him before casting a healing spell on her.

Susie charged into the mage, knocking him to the ground. Before he could get back up, she repeatedly stomped on his chest, each impact sending cracks through his stone armor. She raised her weapon to defend against another incoming soldier. She parried his attack and jabbed at him with her hilt.

The mage dispelled his armor, breaking it apart into several sharp chunks of rock that he launched at her. She stepped back to shield herself from them. The mage jumped to his feet and pulled yet more stone chunks from the ground, sending them her way.

Ralsei stepped in front of her with a barrier raised. He discharged its energy to knock the mage back. Susie rushed him and punched him in the jaw hard enough to throw him back to the ground, at which point Ralsei pacified him.

A halberdier clashed blades with Susie. Ralsei moved to assist her, but was challenged by two more soldiers. He bombarded them both with a flurry of flaming projectiles. He did not relent in his assault; when they backed away, he only redoubled his efforts.

One of them shrieked when a fireball exploded in her face. “What the hell? I thought you were supposed to be a pacifist!”

Ralsei prepared another barrage. “I’m willing to make an exception for you.”

Susie forced her attacker back. “Damn, Ralsei, don’t cut yourself on that edge.”

He blinked. “Huh?”

“Nevermind.” She returned to her skirmish. She stabbed her opponent with the spike atop her weapon’s blade, and buried the blade itself into his shoulder. While he was reeling, she gave him a swift punch to the gut that caused him to fall to his knees. Ralsei stepped up to pacify him.

The two turned to face the pair that had challenged Ralsei. They seemed winded, but still eager to fight. Curiously, one of them still had his sword sheathed.

“Enough of this. Your interference ends now.” He held his scabbard in one hand and unsheathed his weapon just enough to reveal its shining steel blade.

Susie eyed him. “What, are you gonna show off your anime sword techniques?”

He narrowed his eyes and fully drew his weapon, casting the scabbard aside. He stared her down for several seconds. She rolled her eyes. No one dared interrupt the two.

Eventually, he held his sword in a low stance and rushed at her at blistering speed. She simply held her fist out in front of her, and he promptly ran into it. He stumbled backwards, his sword clattering to the ground. She lifted him up by the collar and forcefully threw him down. Ralsei pacified him before he could get up.

“Ugh, you idiot…” the soldier’s partner grumbled to herself. She tapped her fists against each other, causing them to surge with magic energy. She nailed Susie with a right hook that struck hard enough to spin her around, then punched her in the back, knocking her down.

Susie barely had time to roll out of the way of the soldier’s next attack, which left a sizable dent in the ground. “Damn, lady, you pack a punch.”

“Thank you for noticing.” She leapt into the air and delivered a flip kick that narrowly missed. Susie took a swing at her with her halberd. She blocked the attack by discharging the magic energy in her hands.

Susie followed up with a kick to the chest, which knocked her back into a barrier Ralsei had raised. He used its energy to launch her back in Susie’s direction, where she delivered a punch to the head. Ralsei pacified her when she hit the ground.

Only two Shadowborn troops remained, and one of them appeared to be internally debating whether or not to run away. The other held his ground with his weapon firmly in hand. Susie sauntered up to him with a menacing grin on her face.

“This is the part where you give up,” she said. “Your pal’s got the right idea.”

The other soldier took on a defensive stance. “What are you trying to say?”

“I’m saying you look like you’re about to run like a little bitch.”

“Why, just because you beat everyone else into submission and made it look easy? N-no, I’m not running…!”

“That’s very brave of you, but also very stupid of you.”

“Don’t listen to her,” the other soldier urged his partner. “We can take these two.”

“The rest of your army couldn’t take us. What makes you think you’re special?”

Before he could reply, she charged at him and hit him with a left hook. She followed up with a headbutt, and concluded by throwing him back. She pinned him to the ground beneath her boot.

“Don’t bother answering.”

Ralsei pacified the soldier. Susie turned to glare at the one who remained, baring her teeth. He panicked, dropping his weapon and taking off running.

Susie laughed. “Well, that was pretty easy.”

“I know…” Ralsei looked over the battlefield. “I was expecting more of a fight. Do you think Helsing’s trying to get us to let our guard down?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, for someone so desperate to stop us, you’d think he’d bring absolutely everyone with him. Maybe he intentionally brought a skeleton crew to make us think he’s weaker than he really is.”

“C’mon, you think that crackpot has that much foresight? If anything Rouxls told us is true, he’s one good insult away from going hollow. Besides, how many hundreds of his dudes have we taken out by now? How many can he possibly have left?”

He shrugged. “Maybe you’re right. I’d just rather be safe than sorry.”

“Yeah, I get that. Come on, let’s go find the others.”

* * *

Frisk’s barrier shattered beneath the Shadowborn’s assault. A spear from Undyne struck one of the soldiers in the shoulder, quickly followed by her fist. She pulled Frisk behind her and continued to fight them off. Despite Frisk’s best efforts at a defense, both of them were beginning to break.

“Officer, you’re hurt pretty bad,” Frisk observed.

“Don’t worry about me.” She skewered another soldier. “Are you alright?”

“I think so. My head is killing me, but I’ll be fine.”

“Not for long.” Helsing emerged behind her, slashing her across the back with his scythe. She let out a scream and fell to one knee. He skittered away from Undyne’s retaliatory attack, raising his scythe overhead.

“Die!”

Undyne threw herself in front of the attack, blocking with a pair of crossed spears. She drove one into his abdomen, and thrust at him with the other. His tendrils snaked around it, stopping it mere inches from his chest. He cast it aside and pulled the other from his abdomen with a wince.

“Get out of my way!” he demanded.

“Not happening,” she sneered. She rained a series of spears down upon him. He leapt to the side to evade, countering with a wide swing of his weapon.

While they dueled, Frisk took to defending herself from the Shadowborn troops. She mustered up the strength to raise another barrier. The pain in her skull only intensified. She couldn’t maintain her defense for long; it only took a few hits for her barrier to shatter.

She backpedaled, trying to create another. A faint spark flickered in her hands, but nothing more. Her legs gave out beneath her. She whined as she nursed her pounding headache.

“Looks like you could use some help,” a familiar voice came from the distance. Frisk looked up to see Susie brandishing her halberd, with Ralsei at her side.

“You?” Helsing seethed. “For fuck’s sake, what does it take to get rid of you?!”

Susie shrugged. “Nuclear ordnance, maybe? Definitely something beyond your means.”

He slithered forth through the shadows, emerging a few inches away from Frisk. Ralsei bombarded him with a series of fiery projectiles, causing him to slink back defensively. Ralsei rushed to Frisk’s side and raised a barrier to protect her. Susie took to fending off the Shadowborn troops.

Undyne took the opportunity to clash with Helsing again. She thrust a pair of spears at him, but he deflected them with a swing of his scythe.

“You’re just as annoyingly persistent as they are,” he hissed.

“Well, thanks for noticing.” She conjured several spears from the ground beneath his feet.

He swiveled around her and lashed at her with his tendrils. “I didn’t mean that as a compliment. I’m sick of you lightners ruining everything.”

“Excuse me for not letting you take over the world.” She smacked him across the face with a baton hard enough for it to snap in half. She grabbed him by the wrist and twisted his arm, pulling his scythe from his grasp and tossing it aside.

His eyes flashed white as he dissolved into the shadows. He rematerialized behind her, wrapping his tendrils around her throat and delivering a firm kick to her back, accompanied with a sickening _crack_. She sunk to her knees, desperately clawing at her neck.

Susie’s halberd sliced through Helsing’s wrist, cutting his left hand, tendrils and all, clean off. He let out a scream of pain and skittered away.

“You…” he clutched his wrist. “You _defiler_! _Heretic_!”

Susie glanced at the malformed appendage, lying in a pool of viscous black blood. “You’re kidding, right? That thing was due for an amputation.”

Helsing faded into the shadows and reclaimed his scythe. “Attempting to sever the source of my gift… I never thought you could stoop so low.”

“You and I have different definitions of ‘gift’, pal.”

He glowered at her, rushing at her and swinging his scythe madly. She blocked his attack, but stumbled back under the force of the blow. He struck again, forcing her weapon aside, and followed up with a dropkick to the chest. She fell to the ground, while he faded into the shadows and emerged beside her with his scythe raised.

He brought his weapon down, the blade finding purchase not in Susie’s chest, but in Undyne’s.

“Officer…?” Susie pulled herself up.

“How heroic.” Helsing pulled his weapon free, stepping back as Undyne fell to the ground.

She felt her body begin to break down. Her hands tightened into fists. She struggled to stand, powering through the immense pain racking her body. It was as if she was refusing to die.

“You’re…” she growled, “you’re gonna have to… to try harder than that…!”

Unimpressed, Helsing hooked his scythe through her shoulder and pulled her down. He plunged his blade into her back, viciously slicing her in half at the waist.

“I expect you to stay dead,” he stated.

Undyne died in silence, her body finally dissolving into dust.

“Now, if there will be no further interruptions…”

A crossbow bolt flew past his face. He turned to face his attacker, and was taken aback by what he saw. A dozen or so defectors stood before him, brandishing all manner of weaponry.

“Hey, look who decided to show up!” Susie acknowledged them.

“Yes, look who,” Helsing echoed. “I hate to be a bad host, but I think I’ll be taking my leave now.”

“You’re gonna run away again? Why don’t you stand and fight, you little bitch?”

“Because doing so would be stupid.” He created a wall of black flames to cover his escape. He was gone by the time it faded.

Susie glanced at the pile of dust that was once Undyne, and sighed heavily. “That bastard won’t get away with this either.”

“I’m sorry we couldn’t get here sooner,” one of the defectors said. “We were held up at Castle Town. Are you all okay, at least?”

“A little worse for wear, but we’ll be fine,” Frisk said.

“We’re still looking for two of our own,” Ralsei said. “We could use your help finding them, before we lose them too.”

The defector nodded. “Then we better get going.”


	24. Reunited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asriel and Noelle fight their way out of a perilous situation.

_“Perched at the very precipice of oblivion…”_

_-The Ancestor (Darkest Dungeon)_

* * *

Asriel swiveled into the alleyway, breathing heavily. He tried to fight off the persistent ache in the back of his head. He had been battling the Shadowborn for several minutes, but had barely made a dent in their forces. As a result, he and Noelle had opted to flee from them in the hopes of reuniting with their allies.

In his hand, he held a dagger that he had stolen from an incapacitated soldier. He had little skill with the weapon, but it gave him an alternative to his magic.

A swordsman rounded the corner, and Asriel rushed at him, plunging the dagger into his chest. He ducked under the soldier’s retaliatory attack and followed up with a quick stab to the leg. He kicked his sword out of his reach before returning to Noelle’s side.

“How are you holding up?” he asked her.

“About the same as five minutes ago,” she winced as a wave of pain ebbed through her leg. “I’ll be fine, just worry about yourself.”

“I’m trying.” He sighed. “It’s a good thing these guys don’t know the town too well, huh?”

“Yeah. I think that’s the only reason we’re still alive.”

“Hey, we’ve got a man down!” a Shadowborn troop called out in the distance.

“Damnit.” Asriel threw Noelle’s arm over his shoulder. “We need to get out of here.”

He carried her out of the alleyway and toward the tree line. He set her down behind a large tree and took up a position beside her, dagger in hand. The lake was just behind them; they had no more room to retreat.

Asriel cursed to himself. “If they find us here, we’re gonna have to throw down.”

“When you say ‘we’, you mean you, don’t you?” Noelle questioned.

“I’ll say it again, you’re in no state to fight. You can’t even walk.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m useless! You’ll get yourself killed if you try to fight those guys on your own. Just let me help.”

“Don’t draw any attention to yourself. Please. I already lost Kris. I can’t let you die too.”

She sighed gently. “I can’t let you die, either. At least let me take some of the heat off of you.”

“Did you hear something?” a Shadowborn troop’s voice came from nearby.

Another replied, “Sounds like it came from over there.”

“You sure it’s not just that weird onion guy again? I don’t think I can stand another conversation with that thing.”

“Shit…” Asriel muttered. “Alright, you can help. Just make sure you’re safe before you worry about me.”

Noelle nodded and readied her crossbow. Asriel peeked around the tree, finding himself mere inches away from the blackened steel of a soldier’s chestplate. He made uneasy eye contact with the soldier, who hoisted a staggeringly large sword over her shoulder. She met his eyes with a withering glare.

“That’s quite a weapon,” he deadpanned.

“And you’re quite a target,” she said. “I think I’ll use this weapon to chop you in half.”

“I’d prefer if you didn’t.”

“Sorry.” She held her sword overhead and swung it down. He rolled out of the way, and it hit with enough force to shake the ground. He stabbed her in the chest and shoved her back. Noelle shot her in the leg, and she dropped to the ground, losing her grip on her sword.

Asriel grabbed the sword, but found it far too heavy to lift. The soldier threw a punch and nailed him in the jaw. She reclaimed her weapon and prepared to take another swing at him, but fell back again when another crossbow bolt struck her in the shoulder.

A magical projectile whizzed past Asriel’s face, causing him to jump back in fright. He turned to face his attacker. Before him stood a dozen or so Shadowborn soldiers with an armored mage standing at the forefront.

“You’ve been quite the pain to hunt down,” the mage spoke. He drew a mace and ran his hand along its length, coating it in a brilliant white glow. “Now hold still, and we’ll make this quick.”

The mage swung his mace, and Asriel ducked under it. He countered with a burst of lightning, ignoring the headache that began to form. The mage leapt back and conjured a set of ethereal blades, launching them at Asriel. He swiveled into cover behind a tree to avoid them.

Noelle took aim and fired, hitting a swordsman in the leg. One of his companions noticed her and charged at her with his weapon raised. She quickly reloaded and fired again, hitting him in the chest and halting his advance. She downed him with a followup shot to the knee.

Asriel continued to duel the mage, primarily employing his scavenged dagger. The mage evaded his attacks with surprising skill, and fought back relentlessly. He swung his mace and hit Asriel in the head with enough force to knock him aside.

“Asriel!” Noelle instinctively stood up, only to sink to the ground in pain.

“I’m fine…” He pulled himself together and stood back up. A burning pain had set in where the mace had hit him. He shook his head to try and regain his focus.

“What’s the matter?” the mage taunted. “Afraid to really use your magic? Feeling outmatched?”

Asriel scoffed. “I’ve been using magic nonstop for the past half hour. If I was at 100%, I’d kick your ass.”

“Too bad for you, then. I don’t deal in fair fights.”

Asriel glanced at the soldiers all around him. “Yeah, I noticed.”

He lunged at the mage and sunk his dagger into his chest. The mage stumbled back, clutching at the wound. A golden light formed in his hand, and it was mended.

“Good, you can do that too…” Asriel sighed. He jumped back to avoid another swing of the mage’s mace, countering with a short burst of lightning. The mage shrugged it off and continued to attack, until a crossbow bolt struck him in the back.

While he was left reeling, Asriel stabbed him in the chest again and grabbed his mace, stabbing him yet again in the arm. He pulled his weapon from his hand and used it to club him over the head, then tossed it aside. He stabbed the mage once more in the back, leaving him to collapse to the ground.

A spearman charged at Asriel, but was halted when Noelle shot him in the back. Asriel slashed him across the face with his dagger. Noelle shot him once more in the leg to incapacitate him.

One of the remaining Shadowborn troops glanced at her comrades in disbelief. “Come on, people! There’s only two of them, and you’re letting them make you look like fools!”

“Have you considered the possibility that you are fools?” Asriel said. “I mean, if you’re having this much trouble with us, how did you ever take the throne in the first place?”

The soldier seethed. “You piss me off in ways I can’t even describe. I’ll fix your ass!”

She advanced toward him with her shield raised. When Noelle took a shot at her, she spun to block the bolt.

“Someone kill the sniper!” she pointed her sword at her.

Asriel rushed at the soldier. She swung her shield to knock him to the ground, then turned to defend against another shot from Noelle. Asriel stood back up and conjured his chaos sabers. The soldier rolled out of the way of his first attack, and deflected his second with her shield. She cleaved into his shoulder with her sword before kicking him over.

Noelle felt a strong kick to her back. She fell to a prone position, her crossbow leaving her hands. She tried to crawl away from her attacker, only for him to pull her back by her ankle. He gave her another swift kick to the ribs.

“Noelle…!” Asriel stumbled to his feet, but was shoved back to the ground by the armored mage. The mage cast a healing spell on himself and flashed a smirk.

The swordswoman stood over Asriel and brought her sword to his neck. “Still think we’re fools? I’ll teach you respect.”

She raised her sword to finish him off, when a sudden barrage of crossbow bolts and magical projectiles assaulted her, and she pivoted into a defensive stance.

“What the hell?” she cautiously peeked around her shield.

Asriel turned to the source of the sudden assault. A small defector squad approached, led by the other members of the Fun Gang.

Susie sauntered forth, pointing her halberd at the Shadowborn. “I’m gonna give you one second to get away from my girlfriend before I punch all the blood out of your bodies.”

“The traitor’s army?” the swordswoman stepped back. “How the hell did you get past Castle Town?”

“Who cares? Just kill them!” the armored mage prepared a spell. A crossbow bolt struck him in the forehead, and he collapsed, dissolving into dust.

The defectors charged into battle. One of them battled the swordswoman until another crept up behind her and ran her through. They left her where she fell and challenged the other Shadowborn troops.

Ralsei ran to Asriel’s side and cast a healing spell on him. Frisk came to his side as well, and helped him stand up.

“Sorry we couldn’t get to you sooner,” Ralsei said. “We had to make sure Frisk was okay.”

“I’d say you arrived just in time,” Asriel said. “Hey, where’s the police chief?”

Frisk lowered her head. “Helsing killed her.”

Asriel nodded. “He’ll pay for that, too.”

Susie buried her halberd in a soldier’s shoulder and shoved him aside. She grabbed another by the collar and slammed him face first into a tree with enough force to dent it. She tossed him like a ragdoll at yet another approaching soldier, sending them both tumbling to the ground. Ralsei stepped up to pacify them all.

The remaining Shadowborn troops soon fell dead at the defectors’ feet. They gathered the survivors, taking them as prisoners.

“Noelle, are you alright?” Susie knelt down by her side.

“Yeah, I’m fine, all things considered,” she winced.

“Damn, how long have you had that bolt in your leg?”

“Ever since we split up.”

“Don’t worry, I can help.” Ralsei carefully plucked the bolt from Noelle’s leg and cast a healing spell. “Can you walk?”

“Now, I probably can.” She grabbed her crossbow and stood. “Thanks. How are you all doing?”

“We’re fine,” Susie said. “Police chief got schwacked, though.”

“Oh…”

“Yeah… another reason to smoke Helsing’s ass, as if we needed another one. Speaking of which, I’d say it’s about time we find him and take him down. What say you, Ralsei?”

“I think you’re right,” he nodded. “His army has effectively been destroyed, and you cutting his hand off has to have crippled him.”

“Maiming people has always been a talent of mine.”

“Hm. I think we should take a moment to catch our breath, and then go after Helsing.”

“Hell yeah, brother.”

“Well, while you’re recuperating,” one of the defectors said, “I’m gonna head back and report the situation to Rouxls Kaard. Hopefully I can bring back a few more troops.”

With that, he set off. A few of the other defectors accompanied him, with their new prisoners in tow.

Ralsei took a deep breath to steady his nerves. With the end of this brutal conflict so clearly in view, his thoughts became consumed with questions of his own morality. The mere mention of Helsing’s name was enough to dredge up feelings of grief and hatred.

  
He would be lying if he said part of him did not want to kill him.

Even ignoring Helsing’s cruel murder of Kris, he was a threat to the light world as well as the dark world. He was a bloodthirsty tyrant, driven mad by his own twisted ambitions and perched on the verge of total insanity. It would be dangerous to leave him alive.

But even still, he wasn’t sure if he could bring himself to kill him.

For much of his life, he believed that nobody had to die in this world. When Chara and the hive mind proved him wrong, he promised himself that he would only kill out of necessity. But was it truly necessary to kill Helsing?

Would Kris have wanted him to kill Helsing?

Ralsei sighed, pulling his hat down to cover his face. He so desperately wished he didn’t have to make this decision. With the time to decide quickly approaching, could he trust himself to make the right choice?


	25. Descent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The heroes set off to find Helsing.

_“Time to take responsibility for the games that you misplay_

_“You believe in immortality, and we believe in judgment day”_

_-‘Welcome to Hell’ by Mono Inc._

* * *

Rouxls sat at his desk, scribbling down a multitude of notes. Helsing’s coup had left the dark world in a state of disarray, and with Lancer restored to his rightful position of power, the time had come to restore order. Rouxls had taken it upon himself to draft an itinerary geared toward accomplishing that task.

Though Helsing had left a multitude of problems in his wake, efforts to rectify them were already well underway. Much of the blight left by his failed dark fountains had been cleansed. The army of defectors served as an effective replacement for the army Helsing had slaughtered during his takeover. Lancer was hard at work quelling civil unrest.

Rouxls almost had to remind himself that Helsing’s assault on the light world was still ongoing. With all of his hard work – likely having come from years of meticulous planning – being so thoroughly undone, Helsing himself almost seemed like an impotent threat. For the first time since the beginning of his conquest, he seemed beatable.

‘ _And it only costeth the life of a legendary hero,_ ’ Rouxls sighed. It was cold comfort, but at least it seemed like Kris’ sacrifice would not be in vain.

“Rouxls, sir,” a soldier entered the room. “I have a situation report from the light world.”

“Ah, excellent,” Rouxls set his pen aside. “Has that loathsome parasite Helsing been vanquished?”

“Not quite, but he’s running scared. His ranks have been broken, and he’s all that’s left. We’re working with the Delta Warriors to hunt him down as we speak.”

“Truly? Helsing himself is all that remaineth?”

“Yes, sir. In fact, that’s the main reason I came to you. We’ll be going after him any moment now, and I’d like to request reinforcements.”

Rouxls raised an eyebrow. “Have thou suffered casualties?”

“No, but I don’t think we can afford to underestimate an enemy like Helsing. We should meet him with the full strength of our forces and crush him with overwhelming force, just like he did when he took over.”

“Ah, poetic justice at its finest!” Rouxls stood and struck a dramatic pose. “Worry not! I shalt do far more than granteth thine reinforcements. I shalt accompany thou mineself!”

“I think I’d rather just have a team of soldiers. No offense, sir, but you don’t seem like the type for direct combat.”

“Clearly, thou overlooked my actions during the retaking of the castle. I assureth thou, I am quite capable in battle. Especially so against a singular opponent.”

The soldier didn’t seem convinced, but he nodded nonetheless. “If you insist. We should head out soon, though. They probably won’t wait for us back in the light world.”

“Of course. Thou mayst draft a team. I shalt join you shortly. I must haveth a word with King Lancer before we depart.”

“Yes, sir. We’ll wait for you outside the gate.”

The soldier left the room. Rouxls let out a sigh and walked to the elevator, ascending to the throne room. He hesitated for a moment before stepping inside.

“Lancer,” he announced his presence, giving a respectful bow.

“Oh, hey, Dad,” Lancer smiled. “How’s everything going?”

“Quite well, actually! We art effectively undoing everything that dastardly Helsing hath done to our world. Our troops hath broken his ranks and sent him cowering into the dark! ‘Tis only a matter of time before we defeateth him for good.”

“Hey, that’s great news! Once we stop him, everything can go back to normal.”

“Verily. For that very reason, I shalt depart for the light world to assist in defeating Helsing once and for all.”

“Wait, what?” Lancer’s demeaner suddenly became more serious. “You’re going after him yourself?”

“Well, I be accompanying a team. The heroes art likely already doing battle, so we shalt be there to aideth them.”

Lancer jumped up from his throne. “Dad, he’s dangerous! He could kill you!”

Rouxls frowned. “I understandeth thine concern, but I will be okay. I am quite rather effective in battle, if I do sayeth so mineself. Combined with the might of our troops and the heroes, the odds art heavily stacked in our favor.”

“I know, but…” Lancer’s gaze fell to the floor. “Kris was a good friend, and that guy killed him. I don’t want him to kill you too.”

Rouxls said nothing. He knelt down to Lancer’s height and pulled him into a hug. They shared an embrace for a moment, until Rouxls eventually pulled back.

“You haveth my word, I will not die by Helsing’s hand,” he said. “It would take a greater man than he to slayeth your father.”

Lancer nodded. “Please be careful, though. Oh, and tell Helsing I called him a jerk.”

“With pleasure.”

With that, Rouxls turned to leave.

* * *

Meanwhile…

The dark fountain loomed overhead, cutting through the skies of the light world. A maelstrom of purple and dark blue dominated the oppressive blackness of the sky. Were it not for the corruption it represented, it could almost be considered a beautiful sight.

“Ralsei,” Frisk said, gesturing to the fountain, “how long do you think we have before all that becomes irreversible?”

Ralsei analyzed the fountain’s influence for a moment. “It’s starting to get pretty bad. We have to stop Helsing tonight, or the world will go dark.”

Frisk nodded gravely. She found it impressive that Helsing still managed to threaten the entire light world, even by himself. She glanced back at the small defector squad that accompanied them, silently hoping that they would be enough to turn the tide in their favor.

They came to a halt when they reached the fountain itself. It was in the middle of a clearing in the woods, completely unguarded. Helsing was nowhere to be seen.

One of the soldiers briefly looked it over. “You’re not gonna be able to seal it from here. It’s coming up from under the ground.”

“Dark fountains can do that?” Susie questioned.

“Yep. That probably means Helsing’s hiding out underground too. Anyone know how we might get down there?”

“I think I might know.” Asriel gestured for them to follow him, and they obliged. He led them further into the woods, where they came across a mound of dirt that housed a pair of rusty metal doors.

“Ah, this place,” Noelle said.

“You’ve been here before?” one of the soldiers asked.

“It’s always been here, but no one’s opened the doors in years. I guess now we’ll finally get to see what’s inside.”

Asriel chuckled flatly. “You know, Kris used to joke about there being an eldritch demon in there. Helsing’s probably down there, so I guess he’s sort of right.”

Susie hoisted her halberd over her shoulder. “Well, we already killed one demon, so let’s go bag us another.”

She kicked the doors. They didn’t budge. Muttering angrily to herself, she pulled the doors open to reveal a nondescript underground bunker. The walls and floor were weathered concrete, and a series of flickering fluorescent lights provided faint illumination.

The group descended into the bunker.

Ralsei glanced at his surroundings. “What is all this?”

“Looks like something from the Cold War,” Susie remarked. “Kinda creepy.”

Everyone cautiously moved forward. The bunker was surprisingly large and sprawling, with several neglected side rooms lining the hallway. Everyone stuck close to each other, keeping their weapons at the ready.

As they walked, Frisk reached for Asriel’s hand. “Asriel, just in case something happens to one of us, I want to thank you for bringing me to Hometown. I love you.”

He gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I love you too.”

Susie noticed the gesture and took Noelle’s hand. They exchanged glances, smiling at each other.

Eventually, the group came to a halt outside a large, open room. There, Helsing sat on the floor before the dark fountain, which cast the room in an ominous bluish light. He seemed enthralled by the fountain’s twisted majesty, unaware of the group’s presence.

“There he is,” Ralsei said. “Is everyone ready?”

There came a chorus of affirmation.

“Then let’s finish this.”

With their weapons readied, they stepped into the room. Helsing lifted his head slightly as they approached.

“I was wondering when you would show up,” he said plainly.

“Well, we’re here.” Susie met his gaze. “I hope you’re ready to get your ass kicked again.”

He scoffed. “You… all of you have ruined everything. Everything I’ve worked for, everything I’ve dedicated my life to, undone in a single day.”

He stood and drew his scythe. “Still, if you were hoping that I would surrender without a fight, you’re gravely mistaken. I won’t accept defeat. I’ll carry out my conquest by myself if I have to, but I won’t fade quietly.”

He turned to face them, his eyes shining with malice. He shambled forth, dragging his weapon along the floor, before stopping in the center of the room and straightening his posture.

“Dude, what happened to your hand?” Susie pointed out the cluster of spindly tendrils that had replaced the hand she sliced off. They writhed unnervingly as they coiled around the snath of his scythe.

Helsing smirked. “Even you couldn’t take away my gift. By the grace of the dark, I am blessed.

“And by the grace of the dark, you will die.”


	26. Blood for Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The heroes do battle with Helsing, one last time.

_“Crap like that doesn’t interest me. But your swan song will.”_

_-Dante (Devil May Cry 2)_

* * *

Helsing lunged forward and brought his scythe down into the floor, generating a blast of black flames around himself. His opponents jumped back into a defensive stance. Susie rushed in and swung her halberd at him. He blocked her attack and hooked his blade around her weapon, pulling it from her hands.

“I’m getting real sick of people always pulling this trick,” she sighed.

He lashed her across the face with his tendrils. “Blame yourself for letting it happen every time.”

She ducked under a swing of his scythe and countered with a swift uppercut. While he was left reeling, one of the defectors stabbed at him with her sword. Before she could follow up, he faded into the shadows and reappeared behind her, beheading her with a single slash.

“I wish the rest of you were so easy to cut down,” he sneered.

Susie reclaimed her weapon. “You should’ve thought about that before you killed Kris, you bastard.”

Noelle fired a shot at Helsing. His tendrils caught the projectile mid-flight and tossed it aside. “So single-minded. Think of something other than your dead friend.” He delivered an overhead strike with his weapon.

Frisk stepped in front of the attack with a barrier raised. “Like you’re one to talk about single-mindedness?”

Helsing’s tendrils flared out at the sight of her. “You’re confusing single-mindedness with a sense of duty. Don’t compare me to lowly worms like yourselves.”

“Hey, only Rouxls Kaard can call us worms!” Ralsei sent a fiery barrage at him.

Helsing skittered away from the flames. “Ah, yes, Rouxls Kaard. Traitorous scum. I’ll mount his head on the wall after I’m done with you.”

He spun around and raised his scythe to block a strike from Asriel’s chaos sabers. He leaned back and dissolved into the shadows, allowing Asriel to fall to the floor. Helsing rematerialized beside him, leaping into the air and stomping down on his back.

Susie blindsided Helsing with a heavy strike. She thrust her weapon at him, and he evaded by stepping to the side. He countered with his scythe, burying its blade in her shoulder.

Ralsei healed Asriel and helped him stand up. The two of them unleashed a surge of fire and lightning in Helsing’s direction. Noticing their attack, and with his weapon still embedded in Susie’s shoulder, he swiveled around and used her to shield himself from them. He pulled his weapon free and slunk back, vanishing into the darkness.

“Hey, watch it!” Susie dropped to one knee.

“Sorry!” Ralsei ran to her side and began to heal her.

Frisk cast a barrier around them. “Where’d Helsing go?”

A scream caught her attention. She turned to see Helsing viciously slicing into one of the defectors and bisecting him. He ran another through, and chopped down yet another.

Noelle loosed another bolt, this one hitting Helsing in the back. He spun around to face her, and was promptly struck from behind by one of the remaining defectors. Seething, he spun around once again, wrapped his tendrils around the defector’s throat, and tossed him into Noelle, sending both tumbling to the ground.

He took to the shadows and slithered toward them. He leapt into the air and brought his scythe down upon them, only to cross blades with Susie. Ralsei helped Noelle and the defector recuperate.

Helsing kicked Susie in the chest and skittered back, disgorging bolts of darkness from his mutated hand. She grimaced as they flew past her, slitting her skin.

“That’s new,” she said. “Kinda gross, too.”

“Excuse me for not caring enough to give you a pleasant death,” he sneered. He charged at her, still firing projectiles from his tendrils, and swung his scythe.

A sudden impulse knocked him off his feet. When he recovered, he saw Frisk standing beside Susie with a barrier raised. Noelle took up a position behind her and fired a shot at him, but he caught it with his tendrils.

A pair of defectors charged Helsing from either side. He jumped up and grabbed onto an overhead light fixture, kicking one defector in the face and swinging his scythe at the other. They both fell to the ground, and he dropped into one to finish him off.

The other one thrust at him with a spear, but he deflected the attack and countered with a blast of darkness from his hand. He followed up by plunging his blade into her chest, ending her life.

“This is the help you brought?” he laughed. “How did you ever get this far?”

“Easy. Your soldiers were all thoroughly incompetent.” Asriel slashed at him with his chaos sabers.

Helsing dissolved into the shadows and slithered behind him, striking with his scythe. “Yes, I suppose that’s true.”

Helsing skittered back to avoid Asriel’s retaliation, and threw his scythe at him. The weapon embedded itself in his chest, nearly knocking him off his feet. Helsing darted behind him and pulled the weapon free. Asriel sunk to his knees, clutching at the freshly bleeding wound.

Ralsei sent a torrent of flames Helsing’s way, causing him to retreat. Susie rushed at him and brought her halberd down upon him. He blocked her attack, but still nearly lost his footing. He snaked his tendrils around her wrist, forcibly pulled her weapon aside, and buried his blade in her shoulder.

She hissed in pain, but powered through the injury and delivered a swift punch to the gut. She pulled the blade from her shoulder and stepped back, allowing Frisk to stand in front of her with a barrier raised.

Helsing took a swing at Frisk, nearly shattering her barrier in a single strike. She discharged the last of its energy and sent him stumbling back. Asriel lunged at him with his chaos sabers. While they dueled, Ralsei stepped up to heal Susie.

Helsing snaked his tendrils around Asriel’s ankle and tripped him. Before he could follow up, Susie impaled him with the spike atop her weapon’s blade. He retaliated by striking the ground, sending a wave of darkness her way. He jumped back and faded into the shadows.

“I will not fall to the likes of you!” He encircled the group, surrounding them with a wall of black flames.

“This again…” Noelle’s grip on her crossbow tightened.

Ralsei conjured a flame in his hand. “Show yourself!”

“No, I don’t think I will.” Helsing rushed out of the darkness and slashed him across the back, then vanished once again.

Frisk moved to shield Ralsei. Helsing appeared behind her and wrapped his tendrils around her neck. He pulled violently, slamming her head into the floor.

“Frisk…!” Ralsei ignored his own injury to heal her.

Helsing emerged behind him, raising his scythe overhead. Susie took notice, and promptly buried her halberd in Helsing’s shoulder.

“You’re a little bitch, you know,” she taunted. She pulled her weapon free with a spray of viscous black blood.

He whirled around, slashing at her. “Why, because I won’t stand and die like your friend did?”

Susie’s eyes flashed with hatred. “Don’t even mention him! I’ll strangle your ass with those tentacles of yours!”

“I’d love to see you try.”

“Gladly.”

She raised her weapon, but made no move to attack him. He struck, and she stepped to the side to evade. Noelle and a few of the remaining defectors opened fire on him. Susie then thrust at him, catching him in the side.

Asriel rushed in and delivered a powerful shock. Helsing hissed in pain and backpedaled. He drove his blade into the ground, creating a network of glowing cracks in the floor. They erupted in a blast of darkness, knocking much of the Fun Gang’s force off their feet.

Helsing charged and hit one of the defectors with a rising slash, launching her into the air. He leapt up after her, fatally slicing her across the chest. Still airborne, he used his tendrils to pull another defector close enough for him to bury his scythe in his skull.

Susie and Helsing lunged at each other and crossed blades. He kicked her back and hit her with a burst of darkness from his afflicted hand. He drove his scythe into her abdomen, tearing it free in a bloody display. He swiveled around her and whacked her with the snath of his weapon, causing her to drop to her knees.

“Stay away from her!” Ralsei attacked him with a stream of flames. Noelle supported him with a few shots of her own. Helsing crept back and countered with a wave of black flame.

“I got you now!” Asriel impaled him from behind with his chaos sabers. Helsing screamed when he pulled them free, following up with a blast of lightning.

Helsing faded into the shadows and retreated. He rematerialized near the dark fountain, leaning on his scythe for support.

“I would be lying if I said I didn’t expect a close fight,” he said, vainly attempting to nurse his wound.

“Can you really call this close?” Frisk wondered. “Things are going pretty well for us, all things considered.”

Helsing chuckled humorlessly. “Don’t expect that to last much longer. It’s clear to me now that, in order to win, I’ll need to fully submit myself to the dark.” He turned to the fountain. “And I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”

Ralsei reached for him. “Wait, stop!”

Helsing plunged his hand into the fountain. A wave of intense pain racked his body. He screamed in agony as the fountain’s energy surged through his veins. The blood flowing from his wound coagulated, and shortly after, a series of writhing tendrils burst forth from it.

“What the hell…?” Susie stood as Ralsei healed her.

The remaining defectors charged at Helsing. His new tendrils hardened and shot out at each of them, skewering them through the chest. He let out a frenzied battle cry and spun around, brutally hacking one apart. He snapped another’s neck, and decapitated the last.

He stared at the Fun Gang, his eyes now glowing a mottled white. Whatever level of composure and sophistication he had was gone; in its place was an almost primal combat stance, and a deranged expression.

“You…” he breathed heavily. “…I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you all!”

“Weren’t you already going to do that?” Asriel deadpanned.

Helsing let out another scream of rage, his tendrils billowing out around him. He rushed back into battle with his scythe raised.

“ _Die!_ ”


	27. Hell on Earth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle with Helsing rages on.

_“Is this the blood…? The blood of the dark soul?”_

_-Slave Knight Gael (Dark Souls III)_

* * *

Helsing brought his scythe down into the floor, causing an enormous eruption of dark energy around himself. Each member of the Fun Gang was thrown either onto the ground or into a wall. Helsing swung at Frisk, who barely had time to duck under his blade.

Susie stood up and moved to attack. Helsing lashed at her with the tendrils that consumed his hand, while the ones on his back hardened and extended toward her like needles. She took on a defensive position.

“Damn, just when I thought you couldn’t get any crazier,” she said. “You just don’t know when you quit, do you?”

“Quiet…!” Helsing’s voice came as a guttural snarl. He flailed wildly with his scythe, each swing sending waves of darkness across the floor. Susie quickly crumbled under his assault and fell to her knees.

Asriel lunged at Helsing with his chaos sabers. Helsing smacked him across the face with the snath of his scythe. Asriel retaliated with a burst of lightning, which Helsing evaded by skittering back.

Ralsei healed Susie and helped her up. “Be careful. He’ll rip you apart.”

“I could’ve told you that,” she deadpanned. She rushed at Helsing and hacked away at the tendrils on his back. He screamed as they were severed, and furiously slashed at her to ward her off.

“Keep growing new parts, pal. I’ll chop those off too,” she taunted.

He glowered at her. The tendrils on his back began to reform. He chuckled when Susie’s expression changed to one of shock.

Frisk glanced at Susie. “Well, he certainly listens.”

“He’s like some kind of fucked up starfish,” Susie sighed. “If those tentacles grow a new Helsing, I’m outta here.”

“Guys, focus!” Asriel assaulted him with a barrage of blazing stars. “How can we kill him if he can regenerate?”

“Easy.” Susie’s grip on her weapon tightened. “We cut him apart until there’s nothing left to regenerate.”

Helsing let out a twisted laugh. “You can’t kill darkness.”

“I’m pretty sure we’ve beaten plenty of ‘invincible’ things by now. You’re hardly anything special.”

“Arrogance.” He slashed at her, and she deflected the blow. “This is where you die!” Each word was punctuated by another attack. He eventually broke Susie’s guard and ran her through.

A shot from Noelle struck him in the back. He spun around to face her, and received another bolt to the chest. He faded into the shadows and slithered over to her, emerging beneath her and hitting her with an uppercut hard enough to launch her into the air.

“Back off!” Frisk discharged a barrier to knock him back. She moved to defend Noelle as she came back to the ground.

Helsing used his scythe to vault into the air, and brought it down upon Frisk. Her barrier shattered on impact. He swung at her, but she rolled out of the way. He disgorged a series of projectiles from his hand. Several of them hit her before she could raise another barrier.

Ralsei sent a barrage of flames Helsing’s way. Helsing hissed and retreated into the shadows. Ralsei continued to assault him as he rematerialized, forcing him to retreat. He conjured a wall of black flames to defend himself.

Ralsei turned his attention to healing his companions. As soon as he turned his back, Helsing lunged at him buried his scythe in his shoulder.

“Worthless traitor,” Helsing sneered. He pulled Ralsei to the ground and stomped down on his chest. He raised his scythe overhead, its blade surging with dark energy.

Asriel blindsided Helsing and impaled him with his chaos sabers. He followed up with a quick blast of lightning. Helsing skittered back and pulled the sabers from his body, shattering them to pieces.

Ralsei hastily healed himself and attended to his companions. He barely had any time to heal them before Helsing attacked once again. Susie battled him head-on, while Ralsei and Noelle supported her from a distance.

“Why won’t you just die?” Helsing hissed. “What does it take to stop you?”

Frisk knocked him aside by discharging another barrier. “It’ll take more than you can manage. We’re more determined than ever to take you down.”

“So you might as well just give it up!” Susie punched Helsing in the jaw.

“I could say the same to you.” Helsing kicked her in the chest and slashed at her. She powered through and continued dueling him.

Helsing dropkicked Susie and took to the shadows. He reappeared behind her while she was still falling and slammed his fist into her back, throwing her to the ground. Her weapon left her hand and clattered out of reach.

“Stay away from her!” Noelle put herself between them and opened fire on Helsing. His tendrils caught her shots in mid-flight. He swept her off her feet with a wave of darkness, and delivered a strong kick to the chest.

Susie pulled herself up and tackled Helsing to the ground. She stomped down on his hand until his grip on his scythe weakened, and grabbed the weapon for herself. She plunged the blade into his chest repeatedly, each time evoking a spray of black blood.

Helsing’s tendrils shot out at Susie, jabbing her in the face. One of them pierced her right eye, causing her to scream in pain and recoil back. Helsing pulled his scythe from her hand and shoved her aside.

“Susie!” Ralsei rushed over to her, but stopped in his tracks when Helsing created a wall of dark flames in front of him.

“I’ll handle you in a moment,” Helsing said. He leapt into the air and brought his scythe down upon Susie, but she jumped to the side to evade.

“Susie, catch!” Asriel tossed her halberd to her. She gave him a nod of thanks.

“This was a dirty trick, pal,” she said, pointing to her bleeding eye. “I’m gonna have to settle the score now.”

She cleaved at him with her halberd, but his tendrils halted it mere inches from his face. He kicked her back and dashed at her, slashing her across the abdomen. He whacked her in the back of the head with the snath of his scythe, knocking her down.

Ralsei tried to reach Susie, but soon came under fire from Helsing. Frisk stepped up to defend him.

“Asriel, can you distract him while I help Susie?” Ralsei said.

Asriel conjured another set of chaos sabers. “Leave it to me.”

“I’ll help, too.” Noelle took aim with her crossbow.

Asriel rushed at Helsing, swinging his sabers. Helsing deflected them with a twirl of his scythe, and countered with a burst of darkness that left Asriel reeling. Noelle loosed a bolt and hit Helsing in the shoulder. Asriel thrust one of his sabers into Helsing’s chest and quickly retreated.

“Susie, are you alright?” Ralsei cast a healing spell on Susie, trying his best to ignore the persistent ache at the base of his skull.

“Not particularly,” she stood. “He poked my eye out, if you haven’t noticed.”

“Hold still. I’ll try to fix it…” He took a breath and focused his healing magic again, but soon stopped when he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head.

“Hey, you okay?” Susie asked.

“I’m fine… I’m just feeling a little run down. Helsing never lets up.”

“Come on, brother. There’s no way he holds out much longer.”

A wave of darkness surged between them. “Famous last words,” Helsing spoke.

“Hey, asstown, pay attention!” Asriel hailed blazing stars upon Helsing, and followed up with a torrent of lightning.

Helsing dissolved into the dark and slithered up to Asriel, emerging with an uppercut. His tendrils reached out to grab him by the wrists and hoist him up. The tendrils that consumed his hand wrapped around Asriel’s throat.

“Did you seriously call me asstown?” Helsing said.

“Yeah, and I’d do it again…!” Asriel pulled at the tendrils around his neck.

Helsing drew his scythe back. “You won’t be doing much of anything anymore.”

“Let him go!” Frisk ran up behind him and punched him in the pack with all her might. She pulled at the tendrils on his back in a vain attempt to get him to release his grasp.

“Okay.” He released his grip around Asriel’s neck and swung him into Frisk, knocking her down. He then tossed Asriel into the wall with enough force to crack it.

“Should’ve been more specific, Frisk…” Asriel coughed.

Frisk didn’t have a chance to answer before Helsing skittered over to her and kicked her in the ribs, flipping her into a prone position. He grabbed her by the hair and pulled her up until she was on her knees, and slammed her face into the floor. He stepped back and left her lying motionless on the ground.

“Frisk, no!” Noelle cried out. She steeled herself and took another shot at Helsing.

Ralsei took up a position beside Susie. “We can’t lose her. Susie, throw me at Helsing. I have an idea.”

“You actually want me to throw you?” she raised an eyebrow.

“Just trust me.” He conjured flames in his hands.

“Alright, you’re the boss.” She picked him up and held him over her shoulder. “Hey, Helsing, catch!”

She threw Ralsei. The flames in his hands intensified, and billowed around him to surround his whole body. Helsing raised a wall of dark energy to protect himself, but Ralsei burned through it without trouble. He impacted Helsing in the chest, causing a devastating fiery eruption that engulfed him.

“Ah, the old Fastball Special,” Susie gave a thumbs up. “You make me proud, Ralsei!”

“Susie, we should help keep Helsing away while he heals the others,” Noelle said.

“Right.”

Ralsei retreated from Helsing, firing off a few flaming projectiles. Helsing let out a guttural hiss and faded into the shadows. He rematerialized with a twirl of his scythe, which parried an incoming attack from Susie.

She thrust her weapon at him, and he stepped to the side to evade. She swung her halberd and buried its blade in his chest. He dissolved and reappeared next to her, and lashed at her with his tendrils.

Ralsei rolled Frisk onto her back, and was relieved to see she was still breathing. He cast a healing spell on her, but soon stopped and held his head in his hands. The pain was becoming unbearable, but he tried to force himself to continue.

“Frisk, are you okay?” he panted.

“As okay as I can be,” she groaned. She sat up and wiped the blood from her face. “My head is killing me…”

“You’ll be okay. Just try to stay alive. I need to help Asriel.”

“Not so fast!” Helsing disgorged a barrage of dark projectiles in Ralsei’s direction. Frisk raised a barrier to defend him, but it shattered quickly.

Susie stabbed Helsing in the back. “For the love of God, man, do you ever let up?”

“What do you think?” His tendrils hardened and stabbed at her.

Ralsei struggled to muster up the strength to heal Asriel. He nearly fainted, and began to lean heavily against the wall.

“Ralsei, don’t push yourself too hard,” Asriel stood.

“I… I have to make sure you all survive…” Ralsei breathed heavily. “But I don’t think I can keep this up much longer…”

“Worry not, heroes!” a familiar voice echoed throughout the halls of the bunker. “Thine aid hath arrived!”

Everyone stopped and turned to the entrance of the room. There, Rouxls Kaard stood valiantly with a team of ironclad soldiers at his side.

“Would you look at that, the winged hussars are here!” Susie said.

“Rouxls Kaard…!” Helsing seethed. “You turned my own men against me. You’re the reason everything fell apart!”

“Verily, you loathsome wretch!” Rouxls took on a heroic stance. “I used thine own madness againste thou, and engineered thine downfall! Now, the time hath come for your malignant reign to cometh to an end.”

Helsing’s eyes darted back and forth between his opponents. He let out a deranged laugh and swung his scythe threateningly. “We’ll see about that. Come on and die, you worthless traitor!”


	28. Follow the Rouxls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rouxls Kaard arrives to turn the tide of the battle with Helsing.

_“King? Yeah, here’s your crown.”_

_-Dante (Devil May Cry 2)_

* * *

“Go forth!” Rouxls ordered. “Slayeth this foul usurper!”

His team of soldiers began an all-out assault on Helsing. Swordsmen charged at him with righteous fury. Crossbowmen rained a relentless volley of bolts at him. Mages weaved all manner of spells to further suppress him.

“You’re pathetic, Rouxls,” Helsing hissed, slashing wildly to fend off his attackers. “You turned my own men against me, and even now, you can’t be bothered to fight me yourself. You miserable fucking coward!”

Rouxls gave a smug grin. “Oh, when did I evere giveth the impression that I wouldst not fight mineself?”

Helsing took to the shadows and slithered in Rouxls’ direction. “You have that look of uselessness about you.” He raised his scythe in preparation to strike.

“Appearances can be deceiving.” Rouxls clapped his hands together with a blue flash. “No one may attacketh Rouxls Kaard!”

Helsing felt his arms lock up, and his scythe stopped mere inches from Rouxls’ face. He attacked again, and found himself unable to land the blow. He tried once more, and again, his attack faltered.

“What the hell is this?”

“Oh, yeah, I forgot you could do that,” Frisk said, cracking a smile. “You may have just guaranteed that we’ll win.”

Helsing rolled out of the way of an incoming sword strike. “Rouxls, how are you doing this?”

Rouxls chuckled. “You may calleth my namesake, the rules card, useless, but I must remindeth you that it is the rules card that decideth how the game is played in the first place.”

“You son of a… Fine. Make all the rules you want. You’ll be powerless once I cut your little army down like the worthless garbage it is!”

“Good luck with that,” Asriel sent a bolt of lightning his way.

Helsing countered with a barrage of dark projectiles. “I don’t need luck.”

Noelle, along with Rouxls’ crossbowmen, opened fire upon Helsing. He faded into the shadows and maneuvered around them, only to run into Susie, who brought her halberd down upon him. He parried her attack, but was blindsided by a team of swordsmen.

Helsing slammed his afflicted hand into the floor and allowed his tendrils to take root. They spread out and erupted around him with a burst of dark energy, throwing his attackers back. He leapt at Susie and kicked off of her as if she were a stepping stone. He dropped onto Noelle, planting his boot on her chest.

“I don’t think so!” Susie grabbed the tendrils on his back and pulled him off of her, throwing him to the floor. She slashed at him, but he deflected her attack and countered with a leg sweep. He stood up, spinning his scythe around himself to ward off Rouxls’ men.

A swordsman snuck up behind Helsing and buried his sword in his back. Helsing spun around and knocked him to the floor, and swiped his scythe across his neck, swiftly beheading him. He pivoted and plunged his blade into another soldier’s chest, ripping it open in a bloody display.

“Thou art quite skilled with that scythe, Hellman,” Rouxls spoke.

“Helsing!” he bellowed.

Rouxls waved his hand dismissively. “Semantics. If thou art so deft with thine scythe, let us see if you can performe without it.” He clapped his hands together. “Thou cannot useth any form of weaponry!”

Helsing felt an intense, burning pain in his hands. He quickly tossed his scythe aside. “Fine. I’ll kill you without it. It’s more personal this way.”

Susie ran up behind him and dropkicked him, sending him face first to the floor. Asriel followed up with a relentless barrage of lightning. Helsing sunk into the shadows and slithered away. He emerged behind one of the crossbowmen, and wrapped his tendrils around his throat.

A swordsman rushed at him, but he repelled him with a kick to the chest. He hoisted the crossbowman overhead and slammed him into the swordsman, causing them to fall over each other.

Susie cleaved at Helsing with her halberd. Her blade found purchase in his shoulder, causing him to drop to one knee. She grabbed him by the collar and pulled him down onto his back, and proceeded to stomp down on his face with a grisly _crack_.

“Not such hot shit now, are you?” she taunted.

Helsing released a blast of dark magic around himself to knock her back. While she was reeling, he got up and punched her in the jaw. He smacked her upside the head with his tendrils, and whirled around to clothesline an approaching swordsman.

“I’m very competent barehanded,” he said.

“Well, how about I chop your hand off again?”

He assaulted her with a storm of dark projectiles. “No thanks.”

A shot from Noelle struck him in the shoulder, followed by several others. A fiery barrage from Ralsei followed that, and a rain of blazing stars from Asriel came shortly after. Helsing moved to retaliate, but was shoved to the ground when Frisk discharged a barrier in his direction.

“Now, sliceth him to ribbons!” Rouxls ordered.

Susie and the swordsmen gathered around Helsing with their weapons raised. Before any of them could strike, he sunk into the shadows and darted away to safety.

“I’m getting real sick of that,” Asriel said. He turned to Rouxls, “Any chance you can get him to stop that?”

“Certainly.” With a flourish, Rouxls applied another stipulation to Helsing. “No maneuvering through the shadows!”

Helsing was forced to emerge, tumbling to the floor. He stood and jumped back toward the dark fountain. He paused for a moment to look over his opponents. Most of them were still standing, and despite the Fun Gang’s fatigue and injuries, they were still fighting harder than ever.

He was finally beginning to feel the effect of his own injuries. His newfound regenerative capabilities were waning. His scythe was entirely unavailable to him. And with his forces devastated, he stood alone against his foes.

This would be the last stand of the Shadowborn.

“You’re not hesitating, are you?” Ralsei spoke.

Helsing laughed. “Of course not. I’ve just decided that, even if I die here, I’ll take your other human friend with me.”

In the blink of an eye, he charged at Frisk, his hands glowing with dark power. She conjured a barrier to defend herself, but it was shattered with a single blow. She was thrown back into the wall, and fell breathlessly to her knees.

Helsing moved to strike her again, but was knocked aside when Ralsei unleashed a continuous torrent of raging flames. Ralsei continued his assault until he sunk to the floor, overwhelmed by the strain it put on him.

Noelle rushed to his side. “Ralsei, are you okay?”

Ralsei breathed heavily, “I’m fine… I just need a minute…”

“No worries, brother,” Susie said. “We’ll finish this.”

“And we won’t lose anyone else!” Frisk pulled herself up and discharged a barrier, throwing Helsing back onto the floor.

Rouxls clapped his hands together once more. “Helsing, thou shalt stand and fight until the battle hath concluded. No retreat, and no tending to thine wounds!”

“I’m offended that you think I would ever retreat,” Helsing said. “If you want a fight, then you’ll get a fight.”

His tendrils billowed out around him. His eyes flashed an empty white color. His hands blazed with dark magic. He rushed at the line of crossbowmen and slammed his fists into the ground, generating a torrent of darkness that threw them back. His tendrils hardened and sharpened to a point, and shot out to fatally impale several of them.

Noelle hastily backpedaled and fired at Helsing, hitting him in the leg. When he turned to face her, Asriel stepped up behind him and drove his chaos sabers into his back. He flailed his tendrils in retaliation, to no avail.

“Now, strike!” Rouxls ordered.

His troops encircled Helsing and attacked. Helsing met each attacker with a powerful blow of his own. However, for every hit he landed, he received two from behind. His wounds were mounting, and his combat performance suffered for it.

“What’s the matter, Helsing?” Susie gave a smug grin. “Can’t handle everything we’re throwing at you?”

“Shut up…!” Helsing stifled a scream as one of the defectors plunged a sword into his back. Helsing spun around and backhanded him, only to receive another stab in the back.

“Looks like we’ve got him on the ropes,” Asriel observed. “It’s about time we finished him off, don’t you think?”

“Absolutely.” Ralsei shakily rose to his feet, preparing a flame spell.

“Ralsei, I really think you should just sit down and rest,” Frisk said. “We can handle this.”

“No… I’ll be alright, really.”

She nodded. “Then let’s end this.”

Ralsei steadied himself and released a barrage of flames that engulfed Helsing, nearly knocking him over. Ralsei kept up the pressure, unleashing another cascade of fire that nearly burned Helsing down to the bone.

Noelle ran up to Helsing and struck him in the jaw with the butt of her crossbow. In his state of bewilderment, he could not hope to muster a counterattack. She shot him in the chest, quickly loaded another bolt, and fired again. She did not let up until her quiver was exhausted.

Helsing stumbled back in Frisk’s direction. She slammed a barrier into his back and discharged it, throwing him into the wall. She raised another barrier to pin him to the wall, and discharged that one as well. He impacted the wall with enough force to crack it.

Susie sprinted into him and hit him in the back of the head with an elbow strike. She kicked him into the wall and held him in place while she ripped the tendrils off of his back with her bare hands. She grabbed him by the collar and threw him aside.

Asriel conjured his chaos sabers and ran Helsing through. He sent a surge of lightning through the blades to shock Helsing, intensifying until the blades exploded into pieces. He called upon a new weapon, called a chaos blaster, and unloaded it into Helsing’s chest.

Helsing staggered back, barely able to stand. Sickly black blood poured from his wounds, and he could do nothing about it. He had no strength to fight back.

‘ _Darkness, why have you forsaken me…?_ ’

Rouxls casually sauntered up to him and spoke, “King Lancer sends his regards.” He punched Helsing in the face, knocking him down for the last time.

Susie brought her halberd down and chopped Helsing’s afflicted hand off. “Don’t grow that back, this time.”

“You…” Helsing coughed, blood dripping from his mouth. “I’ll… I’m going to—”

“What? Bleed on the floor? Just give up, dude.” She turned to her companions. “So, have we decided what we’re doing with this guy?”

All eyes turned to Ralsei. He stood wordlessly, breathing heavily. He was unsure what to say. He had humored the idea of killing Helsing, but now that he was lying broken in front of him, with his life in the Fun Gang’s hands, it was a much harder decision to make.

Susie spoke, “I’ll let you decide, Ralsei, but I think we should just kill him. After everything he’s done, I think that’s the best way to even the score.”

“I think she’s right,” Asriel added. “I’ve been waiting this whole time to pay him back for what he did to Kris.”

Frisk sighed. “I hate to say it, but Helsing’s beyond saving. He’s dangerous in the state he’s in, and not just to himself. And I feel like he can only get worse from here.”

Noelle silently placed a hand on Ralsei’s shoulder and gave him a nod, as if to pledge her support to his decision.

Ralsei took a deep breath. “You’re all right. Helsing is too dangerous to be left alive. And, in a weird way, it’s almost more merciful to kill him.” He turned to Asriel, “Besides, you wouldn’t be very satisfied if we let him live, would you?”

“I guess not,” he said. “What about you, though? I don’t want to be the reason you go against your morals.”

“Actually, I’ve wanted revenge against him too. Obviously, I’ve always known he had to be stopped, but… after Kris died, I was more motivated than ever to take Helsing down. Would it be wrong for me to kill him for such a selfish reason?”

“Hell no,” Susie said. “Kris isn’t the only person he killed. After everything he’s done, not killing him would basically be letting him off with a slap on the wrist.”

“Right…” Ralsei went silent for a moment.

Eventually, he spoke again, “Okay. Asriel, let’s put him out of his misery.”

Asriel nodded, conjuring a chaos saber. He held it over Helsing’s chest, mere inches from his heart. Ralsei produced a spark of fire in his hand and looked down at him.

“Any last words?” Susie nudged him with her halberd.

Helsing let out a painful cough. “No… I’ve lost everything. My forces are gone, my plans have failed…” He coughed again. “…and now even the dark has abandoned me. Please, grant me death…”

“If you insist,” Asriel said.

He plunged his saber into Helsing’s chest and sliced it open, revealing his twisted, blackened heart and soul. Ralsei released a blast of flames that burned them both to ashes. Helsing said nothing as his body decayed into dust.

Frisk stepped up to the dark fountain held out her hand. An image of her soul appeared before her, glowing with a bright red light. She focused her efforts, and the glow intensified until it engulfed the fountain. A blinding flash filled the room, and the fountain was sealed. Frisk sank to her knees in exhaustion. Asriel came to her side, and she melted into his embrace.

Susie’s eyes scanned the room, taking in the multiple cracks, piles of dust, and bloodstains that marred it. “So that’s it, huh? We’ve won?”

“We’ve won,” Noelle confirmed. She took Susie’s hand in hers, and leaned against her.

“’Twas a long and terrible ordeal,” Rouxls said. “But goodness prevails as it shouldst.”

Asriel chuckled humorlessly. “Funny, I thought winning was supposed to feel better than this.”

“We hath all suffered greatly at the hands of that vile fiend, Helsing. We art all overdue for time to mourn.”

Asriel nodded silently.

Victory, such as it was, almost felt hollow. Both the light and dark worlds would have to recover from the devastation Helsing had left in his wake. Everyone involved in this ordeal had lost someone important to them.

Still, with the Shadowborn thoroughly defeated, there was hope for a better future. And, now that both worlds had been made aware of one another, perhaps they could reunite once more.

Whatever would come, it would be worth seeing.


	29. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the end.

_“We are the bloodred five / Never come alone_

_“We are wolves against the world_

_“We keep the storm alive / We are made of stone_

_“Forever wolves against the world”_

_-‘Wolves Against the World’ by Powerwolf_

* * *

One week later…

A team of royal guards stepped inside Card Castle and immediately threw themselves down into several chairs. They were exhausted, but filled with pride nonetheless.

“Ah, welcome back, men,” Rouxls greeted them. “How goes thine work?”

“We’re finally finished,” the guard captain spoke. “Last bit of blight’s been purged, last mutant abomination’s been killed. We’re finally done.”

“Incredible work!” Rouxls crossed off the last remaining blight site on his map. “At last, the dark world hath been cleansed. Taketh pride; the last remnants of Helsing’s insurrection hath been wiped out.”

“Hallelujah,” one of the guards sighed.

Rouxls continued, “The dark world owes thou a debt of gratitude. We could not have accomplished this were it not for thine valiant efforts.”

“Let’s not forget the Delta Warriors,” the guard captain added. “They did most of the heavy lifting.”

“Indeed.” Rouxls lowered his head. “We must not forget their leader’s noble sacrifice, either.”

“Right…”

A solemn silence fell over the room.

Another guard spoke up, “Hey, let’s not get all doom and gloom right now. We should be celebrating! Let’s head to the bar. First round of drinks is on me.”

Rouxls sighed as he watched them leave. He wished they would pay at least a bit more respect to Kris, but he couldn’t say they were wrong; the blight had been purged, Helsing’s followers were in chains, and the dark world’s burgeoning new relationship with the light world looked very promising. There was almost no reason not to celebrate.

But victory did not come without a great cost. Helsing had slaughtered hundreds in his coup, countless darkners had died resisting him, and several lightners had either been gravely injured or cruelly murdered. Even if Helsing had left no legacy, the effects of his reign would be felt for years.

Rouxls shook his head. There would be time to ruminate later. For now, he and Lancer had an important matter to attend to. He stepped into the elevator and ascended to the throne room. He stopped in the doorway when he saw Lancer conversing with a team of royal guards.

“Your majesty, you’ll be happy to know that reconstruction efforts have finally concluded across the dark world,” one of the guards said. “It’s like Helsing never showed up.”

“How about the light world?” Lancer asked.

“Done as well. There actually wasn’t that much damage there, and it was all localized in Hometown.”

“That’s great. How are you all getting along?”

“Very well, actually. The lightners have definitely changed over the years; I was expecting them to kick us out as soon as the work was done.”

“I told you they were good people!”

The guard chuckled. “You were right. It was easy to get along, too. Turns out Helsing just really had a stick up his ass about the past. Kinda funny how this whole civil war thing started because of that.”

Lancer nodded. “Well, now I just gotta get ready to meet with whoever leads the lightners. I’d like to see if we can form an alliance or something so we don’t have to worry about anyone like Helsing showing up.”

“We’ll leave you to it, your majesty.” The guard gave a salute and led his team out of the room.

Rouxls took the opportunity to enter. “Oh, Lancer?”

Lancer perked up. “Hey, Dad! What’s up?”

“I wanted to remindeth you that Kris’ funeral in the light world is today. We should leaveth soon if we do not wisheth to be late.”

Lancer’s positive demeanor quickly faded. “Oh, right… I’m ready to go whenever you are.”

Rouxls frowned. “Lancer, art thou alright?”

“Yeah, I guess. I just can’t believe Kris is actually dead. He went through so much the last time he was here, it feels unfair for him to die.”

“Indeed. Though it is little consolation, it is good to knoweth that Helsing hath faced justice for his crimes.”

“Right. Well, we should get going.”

“Very well. Ralsei and the others shalt be pleased to see you.”

Lancer nodded. “I hope they’re doing okay. They’re probably taking this harder than anyone else.”

“I am certain their sense of camaraderie is stronger than ever. Their bond hath been forged in blood and fire. Together, I am confident that they can copeth with this loss.”

“I hope so. I’m worried about Ralsei the most. He and Kris were really close, and now that he’s dead, Ralsei’s all alone again. Well, he has Susie and Noelle and the other two, but you know what I mean.”

“I understandeth the feeling all too well, my boy.”

Lancer looked up at Rouxls. “Did the same thing happen to you?”

“Well, no, but after your mother died, your late father wouldst talk at length about his feelings of bitter loneliness. ‘Twas all he would speak of for days. I found it quite grating after the third day.”

* * *

In the light world…

“If nobody has anything more to say,” Toriel spoke, “then I suppose we are finished. Let us all pay our respects to Kris…”

She went silent and bowed her head. The crowd followed suit.

After a moment, Toriel spoke again, “We will all miss Kris. I know many of you here, including myself, loved him dearly. If nothing else, he will at least live on in our memories.”

Susie leaned close to Noelle and whispered, “Doesn’t make me feel any better.” Noelle nodded sadly.

“I still can’t believe he’s gone,” Asriel said. “I thought the shock would have worn off by now, but…” He wiped a tear from his eye.

“I know how you feel,” Ralsei sighed. “I’m still hoping against hope that this whole thing will turn out to be some terrible nightmare.”

“I kinda feel like the odd one out here,” Frisk said. “I miss Kris too, but I never had a chance to get to know him as well as you guys. It feels terrible in a different way.”

“Maybe it’s for the best,” Susie said. “It’d probably hurt a lot more if you did know him as long as us.”

“Maybe…”

She heard two sets of approaching footsteps, and looked up to see Lancer and Rouxls Kaard. The two of them sat down next to the group.

“Sorry we’re late,” Lancer said. “I had a lot of stuff to take care of. It’s nice to be king, but it means I’m always busy.”

“It’s fine, you just missed all the sad speeches,” Susie said.

“The speeches maketh up a large portion of a funeral, do they not?” Rouxls questioned.

“Eh, as long as you’re here to pay respects, it’s fine.”

“We also wanted to see how you guys are doing,” Lancer said.

Ralsei sighed sadly. “It’s been hard. Kris meant the world to me, and he meant a lot to everyone else. He’s the reason we all became friends. Now…” He sniffled. “I’ll never get to see him again…”

Frisk pulled him into a comforting embrace. He buried his face in her shoulder, sobbing softly. They remained together for a few moments before Ralsei pulled away, wiping his eyes.

“At least we finally have a real chance to mourn him,” he said.

“Plus, we paid Helsing back for killing him,” Susie added. “That counts for something, right?”

“I guess.”

Silence fell over the group for a moment.

Frisk eventually spoke, “Ralsei, have you thought about what you’re going to do without Kris? I know how much you loved him.”

“I haven’t given it much thought…” He stared off into the distance. “I have to go on living, though. I’ll try my best not to let this destroy me.”

“You think you’re gonna try to find someone else?” Susie asked.

“Maybe. It wouldn’t be healthy to dwell on Kris forever. I don’t think he’d want me to, anyway.”

“Good for you, dude. I think you might actually be taking this better than any of us.”

Ralsei leaned back in his seat and sighed. The ordeal with Helsing had taken a great toll not only on him, but on everyone else. He was not the only one who lost a loved one. Both worlds were still recovering from the damage Helsing had caused, and likely would be for even longer.

But at least the ordeal was over.

That fact alone was enough to give the group hope for the future. The night had passed, replaced with a brilliant dawn. Now, light and dark could live together in harmony once again. Together, they could prevent a similar tragedy from occurring.

It did not come without a cost, but did such great things ever come without a cost? Regardless, the sacrifices that had to be made were not in vain.

‘ _You didn’t die in vain, Kris._ ’

Ralsei glanced at his companions and allowed a smile to form on his face.

They all had each other, and they always would. That was all they could ask for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's that. Thank you all for reading and bearing with me when this story took way longer than I had anticipated. I appreciate all of your feedback!


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